The French Mistake
by madisnk
Summary: "Who's to say the Walls won't fall today?" Armin's calm blue eyes looked to the sky. "And yet.." An almost deafening sound filled the air, like a magnified clap of thunder. A red, foreign object rose over the Wall, slamming down on our only form of protection. "What.. what the hell is that? Armin, tell me what that is!" I yelled desperately. Eventual Eren/OC.
1. Chapter 1

** Helllo, SNK fandom!**

** Please bear with me and thank you for reading! I'm sorry this seems a little over done, but if you don't like it feel free to find something else! I know she has many nicknames, just.. yeah.**

** I do not own anything recognizable except my OC. Also, EVENTUALLY there will be spoilers, so read at your own risk.**

** Chapter 1**

_Drip._

_ Drip._

_ Dr-_

"What the heck?"

My shriek cut through the silent night as I continued to groan in exasperation. I kicked my tiny, good for nothing bucket to the side, only to end up clutching my foot between my hands. "Ow," I whispered, shooting a death glare towards that dreadful bucket. Fed up, I released my inhibitions of waking up my parents and set off with the intent to do just that.

"Dad!" My high voice squeaked as I stomped downstairs from my bedroom in the attic.

My house was of fairly decent size, looking almost identical to the houses around it, except for the few decorations that Mom felt the need to put up. I had always lived in Shiganshina, and although it was definitely not fancy, it was a beautiful place with friendly people, including my best friends Armin, Eren, and Mikasa. Due to the limited space in Shiganshina, however, the houses were rather closely packed and small, which drove my parents to give me the attic. The personal space was nice, and it was always a nice touch, when I was on a rampage, to stomp up or down the long, winding stairs. Usually, though, I was very hyper and tended to slide or hop down the stairs, causing my mother to laugh and join me, while my dad to shake his head worriedly. I opted for the stomping this time around, my feet causing rather loud vibrations on the wooden stairs.

As usual, I wasn't paying enough attention to my surroundings and smacked face first into a rather solid form. "Whoa, Charlotte! Slow down, honey, you're going to hurt yourself!" A concerned voice floated to my ears, still slightly dizzy from the hit. I saw knees coming towards me and felt a hand ruffling my golden brown hair. "I heard you yell," my father explained. "Is everything okay?"

He was a tall man, definitely taller than the average person. A select few even joked that he was tall enough to be a Titan, but nobody except for the soldiers had even glimpsed a titan in the last hundred years. Dad never liked it when people told him that- I could tell, because he would grimace, if only for a minute, before laughing it off. He had sparkling green eyes with hints of gold, and I was told, very often, that our eyes were exactly alike. His nose, like many of our so called "French" ancestors, was long and thin, along with his build. I could feel his slim fingers leave my hair as I giggled, my bad mood leaving with his hands. "Dad, there's another stupid leak in my room," I growled irritatedly. "I tried to put a bucket underneath the dripping, but it just made it louder!"

Daddy chuckled, scooping me up into his strong arms. "Oh, hush," he teased over my squeals. "You can stay with us tonight." My squeals of panic turned in to squeals of joy. I loved my parents' bed! It was surprisingly soft, with just enough firmness to make you feel like you were sleeping on a very thick cloud. Well, kind of, minus the precipitation- "You know, Lottie, you're getting a little old to sleep with your parents. What would your friends say?"

I could hear the ever-present sarcasm and tease in his voice, so I simply laughed and said, "Dad, when you were ten, you were probably still wetting your parents' bed." He glanced at me, playfully aghast, and I laughed again. "Speaking of age, aren't _you_ getting a little old to do all this lifting?"

His jaw actually dropped at that one, causing his blond stubble to scrape my forehead. I gave myself a mental clap on the back, but he quickly retorted, "Well, that's true, you are pretty heavy. Have you thought of losing some weight? Ouch!" Satisfied with his pain, I yanked my slightly stinging hand back as I leaped out of his arms.

"Dad, haven't you lived with women long enough to know you never insult their weight?" He shook his head quickly in response, shooting a tell-tale glance at my sleeping mom, her thick, wavy golden brown hair, identical to mine, was knotted and tangled, spread haphazardly around her. My mother.. wasn't exactly a graceful person. Her limbs were sprawled in every different direction, and I was positive even a deaf person could hear her loud snores. I stifled a snort as I saw drool escape her mouth, and Dad looked incredulously at her, probably wondering what he found so attractive about her. Using the intellect that only we Blancs have, we crept up to our sleeping victim. Putting my hand in its position, I signaled to my accomplice.

1..

2..

"_BOO_!"

I screamed, loudly and most likely needlessly, and for some reason unknown to me I ran in circles in fright. _What the heck, dad, that wasn't the plan!_ It took a moment (after I gathered myself) to realize that it was our supposed victim that had scared her assailants out of our wits. She sat up, cackling at us and pointing her slender fingers in random directions as she gasped for breath. "Ooh, I got you two _so. Good. _Aha, you can't beat me! Oh, I am such a genius. God, I love myself," she exclaimed as she finally flopped back into the bed. I rolled my eyes, but neither of us could hold back a chuckle.

"Okay, ha ha mom, we get it. Now if you two don't mind, I'm meeting Mikasa, Eren, and Armin tomorrow and I rather not look like the walking dead, so.." My dad simply ignored me, glaring at his wife warily.

"Katarina, honestly, you almost killed me! How old are you, anyway?" He grumbled as he slipped into bed, leaving room for me between them.

She laughed in response before whispering, "I'm younger than you'll ever be, old man."Despite the fact that my mom was technically older than him, I had to agree. Sometimes, oddly enough, hanging out with my mom was sometimes like hanging out with a sibling.

"Okay! For real you two, shut up! I'm going to sleep, and if I hear any giggles," I glared darkly towards my mom. "I will burn down the shop."

"The shop!" Dad murmured. "That reminds me, Charlie, I need you to make a delivery for me. You can do it on the way to see your friends." I sighed in response, too tired to respond as I buried myself deeper into the covers. My parents were definitely odd, but I loved them anyway. After all, I was practically a copy of my mother, excluding my eyes and as my dad called it, "our genetically sharp wit and humor."

As sleep was about to finally overtake me, I couldn't help but feel happy.

**Alright, well there's the first chapter! I know it was short, but it's just an intro to her family. Your fave trio and the action will come in soon, even NEXT CHAPTER MAYBE?! Hmm. Sounds good to me! Does it sound good to you? WELL REVIEW! And let me know, give me feedback, I thrive on attention. **


	2. Chapter 2

** Here's chapter two! The moment you've all been waiting for.. ACTUAL CHARACTERS. Sorry if the time line is a little off, I do what I can. Also, most canon dialogue will not be right but my memory is awful and I am too lazy to look it up! Also I know this is a long build up, but you will see :) Enjoy!**

** I do not own anything recognizable, including any dialogue I took straight from the anime.**

** Chapter 2**

It was a lovely day in Shiganshina. Birds were chirping, children were playing (rather loudly, might I add), even the air seemed to be making noise.

Me, you ask?

Well, I actually wanted to punch someone in the face. As I'd known deep in my sad heart, my parents, mainly my insane mother, stayed up almost night, laughing at literally nothing. I'd gotten little sleep, although I also couldn't deny that I sometimes laughed with her (okay, it was pretty much every time, and it was me who started laughing uncontrollably in the first place, but that's irrelevant). Either way, no matter who's fault it was (_mine), _I was dead on my feet now. I was halfway to the customer's house by now, and in my sleep deprived state I had to wonder who asks for a _very early_ morning delivery of screws. If they wanted to fix their item, couldn't they have just taken directly to my parents? It's not like it was much more expensive, anyway. As a blacksmith, my dad was busy all day, and my mom likes to dabble in inventing, so she hides away in the basement doing who knows what. Sometimes she gets a good idea and she talks, and talks, and _talks_ about it before inventing it. So who is left to make odd little deliveries to lazy old turds at the crack of dawn? Their unfortunate, slave-like daughter, or _me_.

In all honesty, I don't mind making these deliveries, usually. I like being able to help my family with little things. Sleep deprivation is man's worst enemy, I suppose. "Aah," I breathed as I looked upon the house of a paying customer. Sprinting towards the door, I banged on that door like it was the only thing between me and chocolate cake, and I heard a grunt. Excuse me sir, don't ask for an early morning delivery if you are not awake. I pride myself on my punctual deliveries. Try as I might, I couldn't keep the smirk off my face as the groggy old fart opened his door with bleary eyes. "Good morning sir," I said sweetly, shaking his extremely tiny, almost insignificant package of screws. "I believe you ordered some screws from my father?"

The man blinked a couple more times before recognition lit up his face. "Oh, so you're Channing's daughter then, eh?" He leaned a little closer, inspecting my face before saying, "You've got his eyes. And his nose."

"Oh, er, thank you, sir, I get that a lot." _Too much._ He laughed obnoxiously, probably loud enough to wake up the neighbors. _The sleeping neighbors, _I thought enviously. "Well, here's your delivery." I know, I was practically throwing the package at him, but his breath smelled awful and his laughter sounded like fingernails grating on a chalkboard. _Just take. The freaking. Package. _

The man nodded and doled out the correct amount of money. Taking the package (finally!) from my hands, he peered at me once more. "What's your name again, doll?"

_Ick. _"It's Charlotte, sir."

"Charlotte! Ah yes, that sounds right now. Thank you for delivering it at this hour." My brow twitched. "See you around!" I gave a light wave as he shut the door and I sighed in relief. I thought he was going to talk forever. I know old people get a little chatty, but at this unholy hour? I shook my head before slowly walking towards a favourite place of mine. It was a lush, green field, almost a rarity given the limited space within the Walls. It wasn't normally crowded, but during these hours? There's probably no living thing there! I picked up my pace a little as the town began to stir. I usually love people, and given better circumstances probably even the chatty old man, but sleep was a definite priority.

"Oh, thank the Walls, my tree is right there," I panted as I all but leaped to it. "Nice and shady," I murmured to myself. "Far from disapproving eyes..." Without my parents (_mother_) it was all too easy to fall into the sleep I had been waiting for.

_Charlotte, pull it together. Come on. This isn't real and you know it. The Walls are impenetrable, no Titans can get in here! _

_ I rushed through the chaotic streets until I literally stumbled upon my house- what was left of it. I screamed, the sound piercing the very air as I sank to my knees. The streets were stained with blood, soon coating my knees, which were already covered in dirt from my repeated falls. "Mom.. Dad.." I choked. A burning sensation arose in my chest. I had to find them! I was Charlotte Elle Blanc, and I do not leave family behind! Frantically, neurotically, I dug through the rubble of my home, tears blurring my vision uselessly. "Damn it!" I cried, pulling on my blood-matted hair. _

_ "Char?" I spun so fast I almost fell over again. "Charlie, baby, what's wrong?"_

_ "Mom!" I gasped, scrambling to get to my feet. "Mom I can't- how- where is-?"_

_ "Charlotte, calm down!" Dad stepped around my mom before shooting me a small grin. "Did the leak in your room start again? I almost had it fixed."_

_ My mouth dropped open so wide it almost seemed as if I was a Titan, able to devour humans of all shapes and sizes. "Wh-what on earth are you two talking about? _**_Can't you see we are about to be killed?!_**_" Gah! Damned tears, clouding my vision! I brought my dirtied hand to my eyes, wiping away the wetness, but when I opened them- "What? Where did.." _

_ Everything was back to normal! The streets were clear, I wasn't covered in blood anymore (thank God), but most importantly- "Where the hell did all the Titans go?" I demanded, marching towards my parents. _

_ My mom tilted her head. "Titans?" she questioned, like they weren't here a freaking second ago. "Honey, that's silly, it's been a hundred years! Those big, ugly morons can't get in here!"_

_ I must have looked like a fish out of water the way my mouth was hanging open. "Mom, don't say that! They were literally just-"_

_ "Charlie," Dad said softly, resting his hand on my shaking shoulder, "I think you just need to wake up." My eyes whirled trying to see him. _

_ "W-wha-?"_

_ "Wake up, __Lottie__." My head swam. What was happening? I don't-_

_ "_**_WAKE UP!_**_"_

"Wake up, Charlotte!"

I jolted up, my scream quickly fading into startled gasps as I looked up. "Wha- where.. Mikasa?" I found myself looking into steel grey eyes. She looked at me questioningly.

"Charlotte," she said softly, placing her hand on my sweating forehead. "Are you alright? You were thrashing around." My hand involuntarily found its way to my face as I blinked repeatedly. It was just.. a dream? "Char," she said, her voice a little louder as concern wavered in her eyes.

I coughed, and my bangs covered my eyes for a brief moment before I looked up and smiled brightly at her. "Yeah, sorry, Mikasa, I'm fine! Really," I repeated as she looked uncertainly at me. "I just had the weirdest dream, like, ever-" I looked around excitedly, more than prepared to launch into my strange dream until I saw a dark spot beside me. Was that..? "Uh, Eren? What the heck, when did you two get here anyway?"

Mikasa sent me a sideways glance before replying. "Eren's mom told us to go gather firewood, and I suppose Eren fell asleep. I told him to actually gather things this time.." she murmured, and I chuckled. Oh, how I love Mikasa! Although Armin and Eren were my best friends as well, Mikasa and I had a special relationship. Most times we didn't even need words to communicate. Of course, she wasn't as fiercely protective of me like she was with Eren, but he did save her life. "What are you doing here, Charlotte? I don't suppose you're gathering wood as well." I saw her grey eyes glance around for any sign that I was doing something productive before I sheepishly told her about my morning excursions. She chuckled almost silently by the time I was through, and I outright laughed. We both immediately stared at Eren; my laugh wasn't exactly quiet and dainty. It was more like a roar, very loud and unstoppable. It was something I got from my mother, of course. My hands slipped up to cover my mouth, and Mikasa simply shook her head again, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Maybe you should wake him up anyway," I suggested quietly. It looked like I had slept long enough, maybe not peacefully, but enough to make up for last night. Mikasa nodded and began the long process rousing him from his sleep. If there was anything I learned from my years of friendship with him, it was that Eren Jaeger was not a light sleeper. In fact, he could be classified as a deep sleeper in most situations. Of course, this little fact made him the perfect victim for innumerable pranks, luckily for me.

"Eren." Mikasa uttered uselessly. I saw her breathe a quiet sigh and I grinned. I motioned for her to move aside, and she looked at me suspiciously. I winked and leaned right next to Eren's ear.

"OI, EREN!" I shouted, causing birds to squawk and fly away from their trees. He shot up, much like I did only moments before, breathing heavily. I was quite literally rolling on the ground laughing while Eren was glancing around wildly, his piercing eyes finally landing on Mikasa.

"Mi-Mikasa? Why did you-" his gaze fell on me as I was wiping a tear from my eye. I grinned at him and he glared. "Oh. I should have known you did that, Charlotte."

Mikasa watched this exchange with a small smile before she turned towards Eren, fire wood placed on her back. "Eren we should... Why are you crying?" Alarmed, I looked to see that he really was crying.

I immediately assumed I scared him to the point of tears and began rambling. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, sorry, Eren, I didn't mean to make you _cry_, I was just trying to wake you up, because you really sleep like the dead you know and I-"

"No," Eren groaned softly, looking a little confused. "I- I don't know.. That's odd. I just feel like I had a very long dream.." His clouded gaze remained glued to the grassy floor before his head shot up. "H-hey! You could never make me cry anyway!"

Oh, that was a relief. I didn't plan on letting him live this down, though. "Oh, okay," I said lightly. "Next time I frighten you I'll be sure to bring tissues, you know, just in case." I cackled as I got up, Eren going to come after me before Mikasa swung his fire wood at him.

"Oof!"

I chuckled again, before remembering Eren said something about a dream. I asked him about it. "H-huh? Oh.. I.. I really don't know now. I guess I forgot?"

I snorted. "Well alright then. But if you want to talk real dreams, not just bad cover ups for my amazing scaring skills, I had a rather interesting dream myself." Mikasa nodded; I knew she would remember. I went on to tell them about it, and Eren looked very interested.

"Titans," he muttered. "Why does..?"

Mikasa and I shared a strange look before I gently jostled his arm. "Eren? What the heck are you talking about?" His gaze snapped to meet mine and I tilted my head in response. First he was crying for no apparent reason (I knew I hadn't scared him _that_ much), and now he was muttering things under his breath. "Eren, I know puberty can be a rough time, but honestly, you have to hold yourself together a little better than this! Maybe you should ask your dad about it."

His eyes widened and he hastened to look away from me. I could see his ears turning slightly red and I smirked. "Hey! I don't know what you're talking about! You can't tell anyone." I hummed in response. "You too, Mikasa." Mikasa nodded in response. I'll humor him.. for now. "Oof!" Eren stumbled backwards into me, and I would have fallen if not for my trusty girl Mikasa.

"Eren, what the heck was that for-"

"Eren! Is that you?" It took me a moment to realize that a man had bumped into Eren. I peered around him to see a tall blonde haired man, cheeks red with intoxication. I groaned. _Ugh, not Hannes.._ "Eren, what were you crying about?" Hannes taunted, causing his drinking buddies to laugh.

"I wasn't crying!" Eren exclaimed furiously as he wiped his eyes. "Were _you_ drinking again? Your breath reeks!"

Hannes shrugged, and I glared at him. Why sign up to be in the Garrison just to sit around and drink? "Hey, nothing else to do. We sit here all day, we get hungry and thirsty. Some booze appears, and well, it's not like we're going to turn it down! No Titan is getting through these walls anyway, and if they do, we'll kill'em! Right boys?" His drunk friends whooped and hollered, as if he offered to buy the next round. I can't help but wonder.. who pays for this gluttony anyway?

I saw the flame in Eren's eye spark to life. I smirked; good, this will be interesting then. "What do you know?" Eren barked. "These Walls can't hold forever! We're like cattle living in here! Worse than cattle!" Eren ranted on a bit more, but what he was saying was essential to our survival. How did these people, as _soldiers_, not understand this? I was so caught up in my speculation I didn't notice when Mikasa dragged us away. I stumbled with my natural clumsiness, but Eren grabbed my arm in time.

"Aha, thanks, Eren," I said as I righted myself. He looked as if he were about to reply when a ringing filled the air, and his face lit up. "Mikasa, Char, the Survey Corps are back! We have to see them, come on!" He instantly grabbed a hold of my arm, seeing as I was the nearest to him, and in a panicked flurry I grabbed Mikasa's hand as Eren raced us towards the gate. I always thought the Survey Corps were pretty wicked awesome, but Eren.. "Wow," he said, practically drooling as he hopped on some conveniently placed boxes. Mikasa and I stood on the box next to him. "They are so cool! I want to join them one day," he fierily declared, earning shocked glances from Mikasa and I.

Mikasa's look hardened as her eyes flashed dangerously. "Eren, I don't-"

I tuned her out for a minute, too distracted by the real deal right in front of us. They were so.. brave! Reckless and suicidal maybe, but brave all the same. I blinked, and when I opened my eyes I saw myself, parading in through the front gate, clad in a green cloak with the most amazing thing emblazoned on the back- the Wings of Freedom. But.. why did they all look so... downtrodden? _Seriously, downtrodden is the only word I can think of? _Despairing, maybe? Heartbroken, even? I turned away, unable to bear the desperation that hung heavily in the air. That could be me one day. I glanced toward the siblings beside me, and with a start I realized that could be_ us_. Which ones of us would return whole, and which would return like Moses?

"Please," the late soldier's mother cried, "at least tell me he was useful to humanity! He didn't die for nothing, right?"

It was silent. Even Eren and Mikasa had stopped bickering, their faces shocked. I assumed mine was the same way. "No!" the soldier suddenly shouted, dropping to his knees. "We haven't learned anything about those damned Titans! All these people died under my leadership, and for nothing!" My eyes sunk to the ground, unseeing. _How.. _Mikasa shook my arm and shot me a knowing look. I nodded in response before attempting to tug Eren, Mikasa, and myself out of the thrumming crowd.

"More wasted tax dollars, I see."

"All these guys do is fail! What are we funding this for?"

"Bunch of damn freeloaders!"

"Can't believe they failed again. What is the point?"

My hands balled in to fists. Who did these fat bellied pigs think they were? These brave men and women were risking their lives, most even _losing _them to try and obtain freedom. What were these oafs doing? I sent one of my worst glares their direction and prepared to storm through when Eren broke the hold. Mikasa and I stumbled at the unexpected loss of weight, and I watched in slight admiration and belated horror as he whacked one of the perpetrators in the head with his fire wood. Mikasa broke away to intervene and I slipped my way out of the crowd to wait patiently for their return. The image of Eren hitting the fat man over the head caused me to yet again break down in the quietest laugh I could manage- after all, there were people here mourning the loss of loved ones, and I wouldn't want to be laughing like a pig. I leaned against a wall, scouting out for two of my best friends. _Speaking of which, where is Armin? I haven't seen him yet today._

"H-hey, Mikasa! Quit it!" I rose an eyebrow and sighed. Eren had gotten in trouble with Mikasa again. I smiled. Mikasa slammed him into a wall, effectively silencing him and knocking the fire wood from his back. I snorted. Ah, yes, another reason I love Mikasa. She always keeps Eren in line. If it weren't for her, he'd probably be dead by now.

"Do you still want to join the Survey Corps?" she asked evenly.

Eren glared for a moment before sighing. "Just help me pick these up." I quirked a brow at him. "Please!" he amended quickly. I smiled and obliged, bending down to pick up the discarded wood.

I saw the clock as I was coming back up. "Crap!" I squeaked. Eren and Mikasa turned to me. "Ah, sorry guys, I really should be heading home soon. I'll meet up with you guys later though, okay?" I had already started running back in the direction of my house, but I still yelled, "Oh, and bring Armin! I haven't seen him yet today!" I briefly saw my friends wave before speeding off towards my house. Dad was supposed to give me a lesson again today!

My dad had been teaching me how to fight for the past two years, mostly hand to hand combat, mainly just for self defense. He said I was a natural, "like most Blancs are", whatever that means. I burst through my front door just as Dad was taking off his protective gloves. He grinned as I breezed through the door. "Well, well, Lottie, looks like you're right on time." I tossed my chest length hair into a manageable (but probably not attractive) ponytail.

"Looks like you're unprepared," I countered playfully. He turned, I assumed to grab some gear, when he turned on me and went for a jab to the throat. "Erk!" I somehow managed to avoid it before looking at my dad like he had tried to murder me. Well, he could have! "Dad! Warning, please!"

He wiped his hands on his apron before removing it and winked at me. "Charlotte, you know in a real situation, you probably won't get a warning, but good job anyway. Let's do it for real this time." I nodded, getting in the position he taught me: on my toes, one leg forward, the other tucked slightly behind it, both arms raised but with one slightly shielding my face.

"GO!" Mom screamed gleefully. She always had some strange fascination with our little sessions, though I had no idea why. We took the cue anyway and proceeded.

Would now be a good time to talk to them about my interest in joining the military? Well, we're already fighting, so why not. "Uh, Mom, Dad, I have a question." Dad's punches kept coming, but I knew they were paying attention. I coughed, fluidly dodging a kick. "I was thinking about maybe joining the military."

To their credit, Dad's attacks didn't falter and Mom's chair didn't fall. They didn't even gasp. Well this is anti-climatic.. "Is that so?" Dad said calmly between huffs. Mom remained silent, intent to see what her husband would say. I nodded and threw a punch in response, which he evaded. "Well, Char, I know you pretty well, and I know you won't back down if your heart is set on it. Is it?"

I ducked from another face punch, sweeping my legs under him and knocking him down. I gripped his large hand in mine and our eyes, so similar, clashed. "Yes."

Honestly, now that I thought about it, there's nothing else I _could _do. I didn't have any other particular talents, besides fighting, or so my dad said. I didn't have any passions that could drive me career wise. But most importantly, even if I did find something I was passionate about inside the Walls, could I really live the simple life doing it, knowing that it could all come crashing down? Deep thoughts for a ten year old, I know. In light of my age, did I really know? "Do.. do you think I could do it?" I yanked my dad up (though I'm pretty sure he did most of the work) and he smiled. Surprised, I skittered back to look at my mom, who was also grinning psychotically.

"Oh, that is so cool!" she squealed. "My girl is so hardcore! Char, you can do literally whatever you want, and we will be proud of you. As long as you do it for you."

"Not just for me," I said, suddenly determined. "For humanity as well."

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Back at the square, I finally found where my three best friends were. "Hey, guys!" I yelled, waving my arms excitedly. "Guess what?!" I chirped as I plopped down next to Armin, pinching his cheek.

"Ow.. Nice to see you too, Charlotte," he said, flashing me a smile. Ah, Armin, what a little cutie. "What's up?"

I took a deep breath. I didn't know how excited I was about this! "My parents said they would support me if I joined the military!" I glanced at each of them, anticipating their reactions.

Mikasa's face, as usual, was rather stoic, but her eyes lit up in slight shock. Armin's hands fell to his side as he looked at me, awestruck. Eren on the other hand.. Eren looked furious. _What the heck? _His eyebrows were drawn together, and his green eyes were blazing with unbridled agitation. _Agitation..?_

"You see, Mikasa?" he bellowed angrily. "_Charlotte's_ parents support her! I wish mom would do that..." he trailed off. "But Char, I didn't even know you wanted to join?"

I smiled, benignly twirling my golden brown hair. "Neither did I," I said wistfully. "But it hit me, just like you hit that old fat man earlier!" The very thought once more sent me into a cackle. I even had the audacity to slap my knee. Was it that funny? Really? Or was I just in a great mood? I could hear Eren's groan minutely through my laughter.

"Well either way," he said darkly. "My mom said it's the stupidest thing I could ever do, basically. All these idiots, thinking they're safe within these walls!" He was practically radiating frustration, and I couldn't help but think Eren would benefit from some of my father's classes.

"Nobody wants to admit that we can't rely on the Walls forever. That's why I got beat up." Armin interjected thoughtfully.

"Somebody beat you up?" I exclaimed fiercely, whipping to face Armin.

"U-uh, yeah..I said humanity needs to go to the outside eventually, and they called me a heretic and beat me up." Armin explained sheepishly.

"Who does that?" I demanded of no one in particular. "Scum wads.. You okay?" He nodded, but I would be sure to keep my eye on him for now. I groaned, my head in my hands. "Why is everyone looked down on for wanting a little freedom outside the walls?"

"Yeah!" Eren exclaimed passionately. "It's our lives! We can risk them if we want to!"

"Absolutely not," Mikasa interjected fiercely. All of us jerked to look at her, surprised by her sudden outburst. "Just forget about it, both of you."

"Oh, yeah." Eren growled, glaring daggers at the ground. "Can you two believe Mikasa told my parents I wanted to join?" Armin jostled at that, and I shrugged.

"I never agreed to help," Mikasa practically scoffed.

Armin looked thoughtfully at the ground. "I can't say I understand them," he began softly. _What is this feeling... something isn't.._ "A hundred years of safety would give almost anyone a false sense of security. It's crazy to believe we'll be safe within the Walls forever. Just because they haven't fallen in a hundred years, who's to say they won't fall today?" His calm blue eyes looked at the sky. "And yet.."

An almost deafening sound filled the air, like a magnified clap of thunder. A red, foreign object rose over the Wall, slamming down on our only form of protection. "What.. what the heck is that? Armin, tell me what that is!" I yelled desperately. _Please just let it be me being the dumb one again. A giant bird, perched gently on the wall. A cannon that some idiot painted red! Anything but-!_

"It's a Titan!" Armin gasped, and I could feel the ground quake threateningly as a massive head rose above the wall. "Th-that's impossible! That wall is fifty meters high!" Armin exclaimed, shaking. _It can't be.. my dream.. now? Why?! _

Everything moved in slow motion. Another deafening crash sounded as the colossal Titan kicked in the wall, and all hell literally broke loose.

**Eh? Eeehhh? Come on, this isn't awful. Well, now you've seen some of the friendship dynamic in this little.. quartet? Is that what it's called? I don't know. DO YOU LIKE THIS? DO YOU THINK IT IS THE SCUMMIEST OF FANFICTION THAT HAS EVER HINDERED YOUR EYES? Tell me. Lemme know. There is a magical button just for this sort of thing..**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hellooo. not owning snk over here. Nope. Keep in mind this will eventually be an Eren/OC fic, but that will be gradual.. or I anticipate it will be. Sometimes my heart gets ahead of my brain.**

** Also, can like one person please drop me a review? My fragile self esteem is plummeting :P Enjoy and thanks for reading!**

** Chapter 3**

It didn't take long for people to realize what was happening, and it took even less time for people to panic.

Chaos.

Disorder.

_Death._

Just upon the initial impact of bits of the Wall flying out, countless people were crushed. My gaze locked with the first lucky Titan to walk into this all you can eat buffet, and I screamed, flinging my arms above my head in a meaningless form of protection.

"My house." I looked around, almost not recognizing the voice in my panic.

Dropping my arms slightly, I spun to face Eren. "What?"

His eyes were clouded, before they suddenly focused in the near distance. "My house! My house is over there!" he screeched. I gasped. I had been to Eren's house countless times! How could I forget that?! "MY HOUSE IS OVER THERE!" Eren took off, Mikasa in tow as Armin reached out an arm to them.

_House.. My house! Oh, God!_ "Armin!" I screamed, attempting to be heard over the chaos. "Be careful! I have to get back to my house!" Thank God it was on the other side of town! I didn't wait to hear his response, and I could hardly allow myself to feel the guilt that was creeping up on me. _Please be okay_, I chanted repeatedly, fumbling with my footing as I raced to my home. For the second time today, I burst through the front door, but under entirely different circumstances. "Mom! Dad!" I yelled. _ Not like my dream... _

"Charlotte? What on earth is happening out there?" Dad yelled. His feet pounded furiously on the stairs as he came down from my room. _Dad!_ I rushed to embrace him, and he wrapped his arms around me in turn. "Dad, we have to get out of here. We need to grab Mom and go!" I pleaded, tugging on his shirt.

"I still don't understand..." He muttered, inspecting my face.

"Don't you get it, you moron?" A deranged shriek burst from the basement. "There are Titans out there!" Mom raced to the top of the stairs, her hair in disarray and a determined look in her chocolate eyes. Dazedly, I noticed something shiny glinting off her hips.

"Mom.. you're right, but, what is-"

"I'm glad you asked!" she boomed triumphantly. An evil glint sparked in her eye as she held up the shiny hunk of equipment.

What? That's the- "It is the 3DMG! This is what I've been working on! Those damned Garrison drunkards never even realized they were missing," she muttered, slightly proud. "Now, I have increased the carrying capacity, and hopefully with Channing's muscle, he can get all of us out of here!" Her grin was manic, and rightfully so. My mother was indeed insane, but she was prepared.

"Kat," Dad said suddenly to the crazy woman before us, a dejected look on his face. "I don't.. I don't know if I'm strong enough."

Mom dismissively waved her hand, the gear clanking as she did so. "Nonsense! I adjusted this with all our weight in mind. It should be fit to hold us with easy maneuvering. Besides, Channing, you already know how to use this!"

I blinked in confusion. Oh, that's right. I forgot Dad had been in the Garrison for a bit. With a stroke of luck, they had let him go because of the apparent safety of the Walls _(scoff),_ and he didn't want to associate with those drunks anymore.

"Alright," he said with resolve. "I won't let you guys down!"

Mom squealed with delight, like this was another experiment and not a life or death situation. But Blancs knew how to handle this. Calmly. With ease.

"GUYS, WE REALLY HAVE TO GO LIKE RIGHT NOW." Okay, perhaps I was the exception to the rule.

Mom sighed, upset she couldn't test all she wanted, but nodded. "Alright, this is the exact same as regular 3DMG," the inventor explained seriously. "However, due to the extra weight capacity, it will be a tiny bit slower. All we need to do is get safely inside the second gate and on those boats and we are in the clear!"

Dad nodded, quickly strapping the gear on. "Do we have any blades?" His eyes flitted around the room before he smiled wolfishly. "Oh wait.. I make the blades." He ran to get some sharpened blades (he always has them on hand) and quickly returned, sliding them into place. "Okay, I'm ready. Now, come here, get on my shoulders."

_Drip._

_ Drip. _

_ Drip drip._

_ Drip drip drip-_

_ SPLASH!_

The bucket in my room! The ground quaked harder than ever, and I realized the force of the Titans footsteps had knocked over my bucket. "YOU USELESS PIECE OF CRAP!" I shouted at that forsaken bucket. It couldn't even sit still!

"Charlotte! Focus!" My eyes snapped forward, and I leaped towards my dad as he placed me on his shoulders. Mom jumped into his arms, and we ran outside. I have no idea how he carried both of us (though despite his jokes I wasn't really _that_ heavy, I am only ten and food is not abundant), but as we sailed into the air, I clung to the hope that it would be alright- that we would be alright. Soaring through the sky, even while perched on someone's back, was an amazing experience, despite the dire situation. Dad grunted, and worry spiked in my veins.

"Dad, hang on! We're almost there!" Sure enough, by some miracle, we made it to the boats without encountering too many Titans, and Dad safely deposited us there before turning around again. "Dad! Dad, where are you going?!" He turned back towards me, tears in his eyes.

"Charlotte, I can't just sit here, able to help, yet doing nothing!" His back straightened and I saw the resolve in his eyes. "I have to go back." He brought me into a bone crushing hug, and I cried into his muscular shoulder. _We've come this far, and for what..?_ I sniffed like a petulant child as he moved to embrace my mother. Fire shone in her eyes.

"Channing," she said dangerously. "I know you will come back to us. Maybe not today. But just remember!" she yelled suddenly. "Home. Home will keep you safe." I glanced quizzically at her. Now isn't the time for riddles!

"I love you both, more than anything," My dad said before flying off. I knew it could very well be the last words I would ever hear from him. I clung to my mother, but she wasn't crying. I wasn't crying, not anymore. We had each other, and for now that's all we had.

"Charlotte!" I heard distantly. My head spun as I searched for the voice. Who..? "Lottie!" It yelled louder, closer this time.

Hold on.. was that..? "Armin!" I screeched. "Armin over here!" Eventually I saw his blonde head bob through the crowd, and as soon as he was on the boat I practically tackled him to the floor. "Oh, Armin, I could kiss you right now!" I squealed as I hugged him. I leaned back to look at his face. "Are you okay? Where are Mikasa and Eren?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine. I.. I think. I have no idea what's really happening and I don't know where Eren and Mi-Mikasa are." He hiccuped. I looked into his eyes and saw a glistening tear that he was attempting to hide.

"Armin!" I scolded him. "You don't have to hide from me! Everything's gonna be.." My tearless sobs choked me off, and I flung a hand to my mouth to cover them. I had nothing to cry about. I was alive, and at this point that was better than most of the people in Shiganshina.

_Mikasa.. Eren.. Dad.. please.. be safe._

_ *_o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Armin and I waited. Time practically had no meaning, yet we knew we had little. Seconds felt like hours, minutes like days, yet everything was happening so fast there was no real time to process it. The only thing keeping me together was the feeling of my mom and Armin's hands in mine. Armin was silently crying, and I squeezed his hand with a death grip. Mom had fallen asleep, which was typical of her. Paralyzing situation? Yes, perfect, let's sleep. I couldn't really blame her though. What else was there to do in all this waiting?

I heard Armin's sharp intake of breath and jerked my head up. "What? What is it?" I asked desperately, searching the crowd for a familiar face. "Ah!" I gasped, fingers stretching toward the crowd. "Isn't- is that Mikasa wrapped in that scarf?!" Armin's hand squeezed mine tighter than ever in confirmation and worry, but I could hardly complain. Mikasa was here, she was okay! But where is-

_Eren._

The air was literally knocked from my lungs as Eren's face came into view. His eyes looked empty and devastated, staring at nothing and everything at once. His clothes were torn and covered in grime. _Blood?_ I squeezed my eyes shut. Why is this happening? Whether he could see me and Armin or not probably made no difference. He was too stuck in his grief to notice or care.

I blanched. _Grief for who?_ My eyes began to once again frantically search for someone- or rather lack of someone, but who? I scanned his face again, but his hair now cast a shadow over his eyes. All I could see was his tear stained face glaring sullenly at the ground, and Mikasa's strong as iron grip on his hand. I inwardly pleaded for Mikasa to look at me. I needed to know she was alright! As Hannes set them in the front of the line, I realized Mikasa was doing some searching of her own. _For us?_

With new found determination, I released Armin and my mom's hand and rocketed toward the front of the boat where my other two parts were. Because without Armin, and Mikasa, and Eren, who was I? Armin and I were only half. We needed.. I needed them.

"Mikasa!" Her steel grey eyes blinked in shock when she saw me, waving my arms like a noodle in the wind. I was taken completely off guard when she gripped Eren's hand tighter and leaped on to the boat, running towards me. Armin realized what was happening and joined me, so she let go off Eren's hand and embraced me fully. Stunned, I wrapped my arms fiercely around her as well, tears filling my eyes. Through my blurry vision, I could see Armin trying to talk to Eren.

"Charlotte." She simply whispered, and I could have sworn her voice cracked. "Charlotte, you're okay. And Armin.." We separated, but she took my hand as well as Eren's as we sat down. He was simply sitting there in a daze, tears rolling down his face. I looked to Mikasa, and she turned to me with a sad look in her eye before simply stating, "It's good to see your mom made it."

No.. Mrs. Jaeger didn't make it? My wide eyed stare landed directly on Mikasa again, a silent _what happened?_ She looked back at Eren, and I knew we would continue our conversation later. It was too much for everyone to relive this soon. "Are you okay, Mikasa?" I asked her quietly. Yes, Mikasa was stoic, but just because she rarely expressed emotion didn't mean she had none. One of the reasons we got along so amazingly was because I was one of the few to understand that. She nodded, and sent me the slightest smile.

We would be okay.

Screams suddenly rose up in the distance as another intensified clap of thunder sounded. "I just had to jinx it, didn't I?" I berated myself hotly.

"It's another Abnormal!" Someone screeched.

"Fire the cannons!"

"He's heading for the second gate! At this rate they'll completely breach Wall Maria!"

Mikasa's grip tightened further, and I stared at her with panicked eyes. That's when I saw him. Tall, but nowhere near the size of the monster that kicked in the wall. He was strangely muscular looking, with a patch of white on the top of his head. Despite his features, all I and everyone else could focus on was that he was running straight for the gate.

"Get those boats moving! NOW!"

It was too late. The Muscled Titan, as I was calling it, had slammed straight through, and more Titans lumbered hungrily in after it.

Wall Maria.. A single tear slid down my cheek, and I couldn't bring myself to wipe it away. Wall Maria was breached, and two new, much more intelligent Titans had appeared.

Eren, who had been crying silently beside us, suddenly rose to his feet. "Eren?" Mikasa questioned quietly from my side. Armin rose as well, putting a hand on Eren's shoulder. He cried out in surprise as Eren practically shoved him off. I gaped; why would he push Armin like that? Eren forced his way past the other refugees and clung to the boat's railing.

"I'll.. I'll kill all of them." Whoa, who said that? It sounded like some demented old- "I will personally slaughter every single one of them!" Oh crap, that was Eren. "I WILL EXTERMINATE EVERY LAST TITAN!" he shouted, a feral grin on his face as he almost broke the freaking boat bars.

Maybe we wouldn't be as okay as I hoped.

**LONG AUTHORS NOTE**

**Oh ho ho! MIKASA RANT First off, I really just really love Mikasa, okay? I don't like how people always think she's obsessed with Eren, or only cares about Eren. I'm trying to emphasize the fact that Mikasa cares about Charlotte just as much as Eren, only she isn't as sinisterly protective of her :P I don't know, extremely close Mikasa friendships make me very happy :) **

** Again, I'd like to apologize if I missed anything important, but keep in mind while this does follow the basic plot line, not everything will be the exact same. **

** Also, I know some people may be upset I kept the mom alive, but I was getting tired of all the stories being like, "Oh, I lost everyone I ever loved ever." Because most likely, in a situation like that, THE YOUNG CHILD WOULD NOT MAKE IT OUT. At least not alone. Gah. Sorry, I also just really like Katarina and I couldnt kill her off :P**

** Sorry for the rant, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Did you hate it? Love it? Want more of it? Review. Tell me how ya feel. Please, I'm desperate.**

** Oh and follow me on tumblr! Ordinaryrhapsody :) bye**


	4. Chapter 4

**Feeling like this is kind of rough writing. Sorry my writing is sub par at best, I hope you still feel all the feels... If this whole Shiganshina arc seems a little rushed, its probably because I AM rushing it. I freaking hate this part! I want to just skip to the trainee days, but I'm nice (or cruel) and have to do it all. Anway I own nothing except Ocs yadda yadda Enjoy :)**

** Thank you to Nintendoman01 and Curse . Doll for reviewing! :)**

** Chapter 4**

After Eren's outburst, none of us really knew what to say. "Eren," Armin said weakly, but made no other move to get near him. Words couldn't describe how happy I was that all my friends made it with me, but I couldn't help think about my dad. Was he safe? Was he writhing in agony as an ugly Titan held him between its rotting teeth? I shuddered and bit my lip. I could only hope the Muscled Titan didn't get to him, as well.

I shot a glance at Eren. He looked pretty much the same as he did before- sweating, attempting not to cry, and hunched over like a decrepit old man. I sighed. Losing your mom, especially after arguing with her, had to be crushing. I wondered if he was able to talk to her before- before it was over. I patted Mikasa's hand before letting go, warily making my way towards the angry boy. I gently placed my hand on his shoulder, not remotely caring about the grime that lay there. "Eren." I said softly. I didn't know what else to say. _Why would I come up here just to invade his personal space? _His body tensed, and I lightly squeezed his shoulder.

"I'll do it," he said hoarsely, still not turning towards me. "I'll exterminate every one of them for what they've done." His shaking hands curled into fists once more, but not before I glimpsed them. I couldn't stop the gasp from escaping my mouth.

"E-Eren! What happened to your..?" My voice dwindled, and he clenched his wounded hands tighter. I said nothing else, but remained by his side. He at least needed to know he wasn't alone.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

A bell tolled inside Wall Rose, where all of humanity had retreated. Except for the Inner Wall, this was all we had left. Eren woke with a gasp from his spot on the floor, startling me. Mikasa wasted no time kneeling by his side. "Eren, are you alright?" she asked cautiously.

"It looked like you were having a nightmare," I added not so helpfully as I scooted closer to them.

His hand rose, clasping his head. It reminded me of yesterday in the field, when everything was different... "I feel like I just saw Dad," he explained groggily.

I turned, inspecting the area for Eren's dad. I was awake the whole time! "Huh? I didn't see him anywhere!"

Mikasa shook her head, silencing me. "No, you were dreaming," she explained rationally, glancing at me like I was stupid. Oh. Heh. Guess I could have figured that out. Eren looked down at himself, obviously still a little out of it. "Let's go," Mikasa spoke as she stood.

"Yeah, they said they were going to hand out food!" I squealed, rising to join her. Mikasa rolled her eyes at me with a small smile. Everyone knew I loved all food, despite the obvious shortage. If it was considered scarce in Shiganshina, it was all but nonexistent in Wall Rose.

Eren eventually got up, and Mikasa began leading us around. "I was told this used to be their storage buildings, but now they've placed all the boat refugees here," she explained disinterestedly.

Upon arriving in the center of town, my jaw dropped to the floor. Crowded was an understatement. "This place is literally bulging at the Walls with people! How are we supposed to.." I trailed off. There wasn't really a point in complaining. After all, I was alive, and with my best friends at that.

"Hey! Get in your place!" A man shouted.

"Well, I was here first! I haven't eaten since last night!" Another man retorted. One pushed the other and I winced. Is this what humanity has come to? Something so trivial as fighting over a place in line?

"Lottie! Mikasa! Eren!"

We all turned to the shouting boy as he raced through the overflowing street. Armin's surprisingly cheery gaze landed on us as he spread out his arms. My eyes widened when I saw what he was holding. "Look! My grandpa got us some by saying it was for children!"

"God bless your grandpa!" I cheered as Armin gave me some bread. "Was my mom over there, too?" I questioned, unable to see through the crowd even on the tips of my feet.

Armin nodded, handing out the rest of the bread. "Yes, she's with my grandpa right now." I nodded contentedly as Mikasa thanked him.

"Tch." Startled, I peered behind Armin to see a man in the Garrison uniform glaring at us. I furrowed my brow.

"What is that guy's problem?" I asked as I glared.

Armin glanced at me. "You can't blame him." He looked at Eren, knowing he agreed with me. "There was already a food shortage before we got here. I doubt there's enough for everybody... This is already a full day's worth." I gasped, looking at my bread with new found respect. This little guy had to last me all day? I whimpered almost silently at the knowledge before regaining myself. I had to be grateful! "There are just too many refugees," Armin continued sullenly as he sent me comforting smile.

"Why should we have to give our precious food to these outsiders?" The same man sneered. Eren's head shot up in rage, his emerald eyes zeroing in on the soldier. "If the Titans got through the Wall, they should have just eaten more people!" We collectively gasped and I clenched my fist.

"You know what?" I snarled, too low for anyone to hear. I put my precious bread in my pocket and began to stomp towards him, but Eren beat me to it. He let out a small battle cry as he kicked the pompous moron in the shin. I had to stifle a laugh as Armin's mouth hung open in horror.

"Ow!" The wretched excuse of a human grunted, holding his newly kicked shin. "What the hell?! You damned kid!"

I saw the man lift his arm to punch him and my body reacted without my consent. Before I could register anything, I felt a sharp pain go across my face. "Ah!" I moaned as I fell, clutching my cheek. I could distantly hear my friends' gasp and Eren's growl before I felt Mikasa's cool hands on me.

"You bastards!" Eren shouted as he protectively crouched around me. "You don't even know what it's like! You've never even seen them! You've never seen what they actually _do_ to people!"

The man looked shocked for a moment before anger contorted his features. "Shut up!" He growled, advancing towards us. I unintentionally cowered into Mikasa as he neared.

"Wait!" Armin squeaked. "I apologize! Please forgive his rash behavior, he's just hungry. That's why he spoke so rudely and lashed out! I'm very sorry!" he practically shouted as he dropped into a bow.

The soldier glared for another second before scoffing. "Whatever.. It's because of us you aren't starving to death right now! Even you damn kids should be grateful to us!" He stalked away, and Armin gave another squeak of approval before bending down to me.

"Damn," Eren muttered as he inspected my face. "Char, I'm sorry, I didn't know that bastard would-"

I shushed him before poking his face and smirking. "It's fine, Eren. It's not your fault that guy was a total jerk." Was Eren blushing right now, or..? He quickly turned his face away.

"Are you sure you're okay, Charlotte?" Mikasa asked quietly in my ear as she helped me up. I nodded. I'm sure it will be worse tomorrow, but for now I was fine.

We walked back into the building, and I could tell Eren was stewing over something. When we arrived, Eren blurted, "I won't let _them_ take care of me! I'm going back to Wall Maria!" I looked at him incredulously.

"You can't be serious," I muttered, a hand lightly pressed against my bruising cheek.

"Look at what they did to you!" He spat. "I'm going back to Wall Maria and killing every last Titan!"

I tilted my head, unsure of just how he planned to do that. "Eren," Armin said calmly. "You aren't being serious, are you?"

Eren leaped off the railing, the fire in his eyes back full flame. "I'm dead serious!" He yelled animatedly. "I'm not like those fools who do nothing but act tough inside the Walls!" _Uh oh.. he's getting riled up again. _"I don't need this crap!" he exclaimed angrily as he tossed his bread at Armin.

"Holy crap!" I shouted, quickly intercepting the precious bread and cradling it to my chest. "What the hell, Eren?! This is the only food you'll have all day!" _But if he doesn't want it.._ I drooled a little at the thought.

"Doesn't it bother you at all?" he shouted at us, looking around wildly. "It's because everything is handed to us that we can't defeat the Titans!"

"It's impossible!" Armin cried. "There isn't any beating them, Eren! All we can do is _live in the Walls! _If we try anything we'll die! Just like my parents!" He was shaking, and I gently put an arm around him while I glared lightly at Eren.

"So we grovel to them? That's not shameful to you?" Eren cried, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Eren, for now, there's nothing we can do!" I said exasperatedly. Did he not realize we were ten freaking years old?!

"That's just an excuse!" he shrieked madly, spinning on Armin. "If you want to live like livestock forever, go ahead! You wimp!"

All was silent except for the sound of flesh hitting flesh as Mikasa punched Eren in the face. "Mikasa!" Armin cried as I once again tried to hide my snigger. I love Mikasa.

"If Armin's a wimp," she began evenly. "So am I. So is Charlotte. So are you. Whether it's running from Titans or fleeing the town, we did nothing on our own. We needed help just getting food today. There is no way such powerless people can defeat even one of those Titans," she finished strongly.

"Staying alive is what matters most right now," I said softly as I handed the sacred bread to Mikasa.

"Just like your mother said," she concluded, walking toward Eren determinedly. She shoved the bread in Eren's mouth as Armin gasped, "Mikasa!" I watched silently, containing my laughter once more. "You have to eat and stay alive," she continued like nothing strange was happening. "I won't let you starve to death." I could hear the very slight, barely there tone of desperation that coloured her voice. Tears sprung to Eren's eyes before he closed them, whimpering as tears ran down his face again.

*o*o *o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Only a few days later, they put the refugees to work in the fields to cultivate food. Working in the fields was hard, but I can't say I minded it too much. It built up my endurance and muscle, which was a good warm up for the military. Regardless of our efforts, the food shortage persisted. A year after the Fall, in 846, I was among the thousands of people gathered to send off a large number of refugees- my mother included.

"Mom, I don't understand why they're sending you!" I cried, refusing to let any tears to fall. _Not you too, please.._

My mother stood tall, embracing me wholeheartedly before whispering in my ear. "Listen, Char. If I don't come back, it doesn't mean I'm dead." I leaned back, and all I could see was the wicked gleam in her chocolate eyes.

"_Home. Home will keep you safe." _

Wasn't that what she told Dad before he flew off? I gripped her hand. "You better not die," I ground out. "I still need you." I cursed myself as my voice broke

She nodded, and the bell sounded. She kissed my hair, so much like hers, before whispering, "You really do have his eyes. It's almost like he's still here. I love you." Her hand slipped from mine and my heart constricted. She walked off with Armin's grandfather, sending me a wave like she was leaving to go to the market instead of her death. I waved back, clutching Armin's hand in my free one. _No tears._ The hat on Armin's head brushed against my hair, and I embraced him. We both knew the odds of his grandpa coming back were slim, just like my mom. I already knew in my gut she was going to find a way to go back to Shiganshina to look for my dad.

There was no way I could get both of them back. On that day, alive or not, I said my final goodbyes to my parents.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

The results were devastating. Out of the 250,000 people sent, less than 200 returned.

Armin's grandpa didn't return, and neither did my mother. But we both knew they wouldn't from the moment they left Wall Rose. The death of so many did slightly alleviate the food shortage, but at was it worth the cost?

Armin sat against a wall, clutching the last piece of his grandfather tightly in his hands. Such a great man, leaving nothing behind but a hat and a grandson. Tears rolled down the blonde's face and onto the hat, which quickly soaked them up. I silently stood in front of him. I knew he probably wanted space. How could I help him, anyway? I wasn't much better off, except I wouldn't allow myself to cry. I had accepted their death long ago. Whimpers escaped him, and my heart ached. Mikasa and Eren stood awkwardly around us, not knowing what to say. Mikasa took my hand and squeezed it, but I wrapped my arm around her in a one sided hug.

"As long as I have you three," I whispered thickly. _No tears!_ "I will be okay." Eren nodded at me before sinking down beside Armin, who hadn't heard what I'd said.

"It's the Titans' fault you know," Eren muttered darkly, eyes cast to the ground. "That's why I'm going to join the Survey Corps."

Armin gulped. "I am, too," he said quietly.

Eren shot him an incredulous look, eyes as wide as a Titan's. "A-Armin-!"

"I am, too!" he said louder, firmer. "I was right when I said we can't live in the Walls forever. Besides, how else will we see the ocean?" He and Eren shared a glance before Eren grinned and slapped a hand on Armin's shoulder.

"I am, as well," Mikasa said lightly. Eren's head spun so fast I could hardly see it. _Duh, Eren, do you really think she'd leave you?_ "Where you go, I go, Eren. Without me there, you would die. I'm going to keep you alive."

Their eyes simultaneously swiveled to me, and I shrugged, smiling. "What? You guys have known my plan from the beginning."

Eren shook his head furiously. "Charlotte, you could very well die out there! You too, Mikasa!" he added hastily.

I rose an eyebrow. "Yes, Eren, and the sky is blue. What is your point? You could die out there, as well. Without Mikasa and I, you're already as good as dead." I smiled cheekily at him to let him know I was joking- partially. He probably would die without Mikasa.

Eren stared into space, not seeming to comprehend that his best friends would go with him into oblivion. After a moment, he looked up with a glint in his green eyes. "Alright." He grinned. "We'll do it together. The four of us!"

**Well, there you have it, folks! Next chapter will FINALLY be the trainee days, so that's pretty rockin. BUT!**

** I have this chapter written up in Eren's point of view, so if you guys want to see that, let me know! If no body wants it, I just won't upload it, so please tell me your thoughts!**

** On a side note, I think in the SNK universe, all the children are like hyper mature and hyper attractive, because Mikasa is fifteen in the anime and looks like a goddess it really isnt fair.**

**:(( Anyway, drop me a review, let me know how I'm doing! See you soon, and thanks for following/reviewing/favouriting/reading! :)**


	5. Chapter 4 - Eren

**Okay so nobody told me whether they wanted this chapter or not, but I already had it written, so here ya go. **

** Thanks to Heart of a Mew and TheOneWhoReviews for reviewing, and everyone else for reading/whatever else :)**

** Oh, and if anyone is wondering why it's called the French Mistake, mainly because Charlotte is French and also because I love that Supernatural episode ;)**

** I do not own anything recognizable except my OC.**

**Chapter 4**

** Eren**

Those damned Titans!

**The End.**

** Aha just kidding here ya go**

The image of my mom's body being snapped in half kept replaying over and over in my mind. That useless Hannes should have just put Mikasa and I down! We could have saved her!

_"You couldn't save her because you are weak."_

Hannes' words rung uselessly in my ears. I clenched my fists, ignoring the pain that erupted from them.

I would exterminate every single Titan! I would slaughter every last one, and drive them from the Earth so humanity could live in peace again! I could feel a tear pulling at my eye and I grimaced, a new type of anger and helplessness rising within me. Is this the extent of what the weak can do? Cry?

"Eren.." I heard Armin say, but I didn't bother responding. What did he know, anyway? He certainly hadn't seen his grandpa get eaten right in front of him!

_He did lose both of his parents to the outside world though, _the nice part of my brain reminded me. _Shut up!_ I snapped back. It was different, either way! He hadn't _seen_ his mother, crushed under the debris of his house. He didn't _see_ the damned smiling Titan as it happened upon an easy meal. He didn't _fail_ at saving her and wasn't carried away to safety like a weak child! He didn't.. Fail. I had failed. I started shaking, but I hardly noticed anymore.

I felt a hand lay on my shoulder and automatically tensed before she spoke, her voice shaky and uncertain. "Eren." It was only a whisper at best, but she didn't speak anymore, and I was grateful.

_Charlotte.._

"I'll do it," I tried to say, but it came out a hoarse whimper. _Damn._ "I'll exterminate every one of them for what they've done." My hands curled to fists once more, the pain, constant and dull, hardly registering. I heard her gasp, and I almost whipped around. I wouldn't let them take Charlotte, too. Not Char..

"E-Eren!" she squeaked in surprise. "What happened to your..?" She never finished her question, but the mere unspoken answer had me tightening the useless appendages again. Deep down, I knew I was only making them worse, but I couldn't find a reason to care. Those flesh eating monsters had taken away my home, and my mother..

I could feel her eyes on me, but I couldn't meet their pretty depths. I took no note that I called her eyes pretty, or at least decided to focus on it when Titans weren't invading. Although I felt the overwhelming need to be alone, she stayed with me the whole ride, and I couldn't help but feel secretly relieved.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

_"Remember the key, Eren!" My dad screeched, swinging a needle wildly._

_ "W-what? Dad, what's going on?!"_

_ "Hold still, Eren! It's for your own good!"_

_ "What? Dad?! No!"_

_ "Remember the key! You'll need it!" He shouted once more, throwing the needle directly into my arm._

_ "Dad?! NO!"_

"Gah!" I bolted up, feeling disconcerted and fuzzy. I saw Mikasa move hastily towards me before kneeling. "Eren, are you alright?" I blinked a few times. What.. Where was Dad? Wasn't he here..?

"It looked like you were having a nightmare," another voice chimed as they moved closer. _Charlotte.._

I put my hand to my face, rubbing it a few times. "I feel like I just saw Dad."

From the corner of my eye I saw Char's pretty long hair swish around in confusion as she looked around. "Huh? I didn't see him anywhere!" _Did I even see him? _

I opened my mouth, but Mikasa deadpanned, "No, you were dreaming." Dreaming? But it seemed so _real..!_ I saw her rise from her spot beside me with a "Let's go", and I belatedly noticed the key hanging around my neck. Surely that wasn't there before..?

"Yeah! They said they were going to hand out food!" Charlotte sang dreamily. I would have laughed if I wasn't so out of it. Everyone knew Charlotte's inhuman love of food. _Better get up before she starts dragging me_, I thought dryly as I rose, quickly slipping the key under my shirt. That's a problem for another day, I guess.

Mikasa led the way to the main square, explaining that it used to be a storage house or something. All I could do was gasp as I saw how flooded with people this place was. I heard Lottie's sudden intake of breath as well. "This place is literally bulging at the Walls with people!" Char always had such weird ways of saying things.. "How are we supposed to..?" She stopped abruptly and returned to looking at the mob.

I saw her flinch when those barbarians started fighting over a spot in line and grimaced. Human nature was indeed a strange thing. _And yet you're so eager to die for it, _that internal voice that sounded a little too much like Mikasa deadpanned.

"Lottie! Mikasa! Eren!" I turned to see Armin struggling to get to us through the crowd. Charlotte's green-gold eyes lit up as he saw what she was holding. "Look! My grandpa got us some by saying it was for children!

"God bless your grandpa!" Char rejoiced as she practically caressed the bread, smiling brightly at Armin. I found myself slightly irritated by her actions, and agitated at Armin. I could have gotten that bread.._What? What do I care?_ "Is my mom over there, too?" she asked, trying to peer over the crowd. Lottie wasn't exactly on the tall side, so she had to rely on others for most height related things. _Usually me_, I thought proudly as Armin responded.

"Tch." a man scoffed a short distance away. I looked around, confused. What's his problem?

"What is that guy's problem?" I heard Charlotte demand haughtily from beside me, causing me to slightly smile. Sometimes Charlotte and I thought on the same wave length.

** "**You can't blame him," Armin said, switching his knowing gaze from Char to me. _How did he know?_ " There was already a food shortage before we got here. I doubt there's enough for everybody. This is already a full day's worth." I heard Charlotte's slight gasp, and I looked down at my bread, slightly repulsed. What right does that give him to act like that? "There are just too many refugees."

The next thing I heard caused me to literally see red. "Why do we have to give our precious food to these outsiders?" Hey! That's the same jerk as before! My head snapped up as I glared at the man, feeling myself getting angry. "If the Titans got through the Wall, they should have just eaten more people!"

Time slowed. I saw my crippled mother being forced out the rubble by large hands, only to be bit in half a moment later. I saw the blood that sprayed from her body, showering me like a summer's rain.

I had every bit of control of myself as I stalked towards him. Did this ignorant buffoon really have the nerve to say such blasphemy? Had he even seen Titans? _Ever?_ With a shout, my foot made swift contact with his shin, and I ignored the slight pain in my foot. "Ow!" He yelped, glaring down at me. "What the hell?!You damned kid," he snarled, massaging his worthless shin. I hardly saw his rising fist through the red in my eyes, and barely heard the _thwack_ of flesh on flesh. _That's odd. No pain... Take that Mikasa!_

I saw golden brown streak past me, and then fall to the floor with a moan. Charlotte?! Had he just punched _Charlotte?!_ I felt a fury building up in my chest, and I growled. "You bastards!" I shouted, almost completely blind with rage. I knelt beside Charlotte, intent on keeping those sick bastards away from her. _I can't believe I let them hurt you._ "You don't even know what it's like! You've never even seen them! You've never seen what they actually _do_ to people!"I howled, glaring at the vultures in Garrison uniforms. I wanted to kick him again. And punch him. And twist his-

"Shut up!" he snarled again, advancing toward us. I felt more than saw Char cower into Mikasa, and it only made me angrier. Fists ready, I prepared myself to rise and show him how wrong he was.

"Wait!" Armin cried, stopping my attack preparation. "I apologize! Please forgive his rash behavior, he is just hungry. That is why he spoke so rudely and lashed out! I'm very sorry!"

My fists clenched. Hunger doesn't make me like this! Human indecency makes me like this! Ignorance makes me like this! These doormats wouldn't be able to handle _half _the things we have!

The man scoffed again before rattling off some nonsense about he was keeping us alive and finally leaving. Well, if he was the one feeding us, I didn't want any of his poison!

I immediately swiveled back to Charlotte, seeing the already forming bruise on her pale cheek. "Damn," I growled, horrified. That punch was meant for me! Why did she get in his way? Why did I let him hit her?! "Char, I'm sorry, I didn't know that bastard would-"

I didn't notice how close our faces were until she poked my cheek, stopping me. _Why are her hands so soft..?_ "It's fine, Eren. It's not your fault that guy was a total jerk," she said lightly, melodically. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, jerking my head so she wouldn't see. _What was happening..?_

We started our walk back to the storage building, but I couldn't pay attention. I was too immersed in my thoughts. How do wimps like them even make it to be soldiers? I don't want their forced charity! Humanity will never achieve anything if we take whatever is given to us. I clenched the bread in my hand tighter. _This worthless crap_, I thought angrily. When we finally reached the building, I leaned against the railing before spouting off my thoughts. "I won't let _them_ take care of me! I'm going back to Wall Maria!" I was going to go back to Wall Maria and kill all the Titans, and make this world a safe place again!

"You can't be serious," I heard Lottie mutter in disbelief. I noticed her hand pressed against her cheek, and it felt like a slap to the face.

"Look what they did to you!" I roared. "I'm going back to Wall Maria and killing every last Titan!" _So you never have to deal with those scumbags again!_

"Eren, you aren't being serious, are you?" Armin said with a smile. _Open your eyes, Armin! _I wanted to screech.

"I'm dead serious!" I hopped off the rail and got right into his face. "I'm not like those fools who do nothing but act tough inside the Walls!" I glared hotly at the bread in my hand. It felt like a ton of bricks in my hands, the forced charity sickening me. "I don't need this crap!" I tossed the bread at Armin's face.

"Holy crap!" I heard, and Charlotte suddenly appeared and began cradling the insignificant amount of food. "What the hell, Eren?! This is the only food you'll have all day!" she yelped. Does not even Charlotte understand this?!

"Doesn't it bother you at all?" I whirled to face them, and I felt Mikasa's eyes pinning me down. I pushed further. I hardly realized I had begun to yell. "It's because everything is handed to us that we can't defeat the Titans!" How do they expect us to win if we never did anything for ourselves?!

Armin stared at me desperately before his cry pierced the air. "It's impossible! There isn't any beating them, Eren! All we can do is _live in the Walls! _If we try anything we'll die! Just like my parents!" I didn't notice when he began to shake, but I _did_ notice the way Charlotte's arms wrapped around him. For reasons unknown to me, my frustration increased ten fold.

I could feel the sweat accumulate on my forehead, and my heart, loud and quick, beat like the cannons on the Walls. "So we grovel to them? That's not shameful to you?"

Charlotte's pleading voice cut the air, and I could hear her underlying frustration as well. "Eren, for now, there's nothing we can do!" _There was also nothing I could do when that bastard punched you.._

"That's just an excuse!" I shouted, either at her or that annoying voice in my head. I spun to face Armin. This fight wasn't aimed at her. "If you want to live like livestock forever, go ahead! You wimp!"

I hardly finished speaking before I felt an acute pain in my jaw, and I cried out. Mikasa's voice, low and steady, filled the silent air. "If Armin's a wimp, so am I. So is Charlotte. So are you. Whether it's running from Titans or fleeing the town, we did nothing on our own. We needed help just getting food today. There is no way such powerless people can defeat even one of those Titans."

I stayed at my spot on the floor, kneeling uselessly as pain the pain slowly receded in my cheek. She was right.. I was powerless against the Titans, against everything!

"Staying alive is what matters most right now," Charlotte said softly, but I couldn't bring myself to look into her bright eyes.

"Just like your mother said," Mikasa said discreetly. _Mom.. _I felt an odd obstruction in my mouth before I realized Mikasa had shoved the bread in my mouth. "Mmpf!" I choked, struggling. "You have to eat and stay alive. I won't let you starve to death," Mikasa reminded me sternly. With thoughts of our grave situation and my dead mother, tears welled in my eyes. I closed them in defeat, and let the tears coarse down my face.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Being in that dark alley only a year later was horrible. It was the day the remainder of the Retake Wall Maria force returned, only with a painfully lower number. Armin was huddled against the wall, his grandpa's hat clutched between his hands as he mourned. Charlotte, on the other hand, stood silently with Mikasa as she watched Armin with sad, dry eyes. _How can she not cry? How is she so strong?_

I jumped when she spoke. "As long as I have you three, I will be okay." My heart involuntarily skipped a beat, and I nodded quickly at her before sinking next to Armin.

_Don't think about what Char said, _ I pleaded with myself before switching the conversation to something of my caliber. "It's the Titans' fault you know. That's why I'm going to join the Survey Corps." _Yeah, this topic is _much_ better. _

Armin's sniffs stopped momentarily. "I am, too."

I couldn't move my head fast enough to make sure Armin was still speaking. "A-Armin-!"

"I am, too!" He said defiantly. "I was right when I said we can't live in the Walls forever. Besides, how else will we see the ocean?" he looked hopefully at me, and I felt rejuvenated. It had been Armin and mine's goal for years now to see the ocean. I grinned at him and put my hand on his shoulder enthusiastically. At least I won't be there alone, then. Of course, there's always..

"I am, as well." Mikasa's said right on cue, her tone light with hard undertones. There's was no talking her out of it. I opened my mouth anyway, but she cut me off. "Where you go, I go, Eren. Without me there, you would die. I'm going to keep you alive."

I grimaced at the so-called fact before looking at Charlotte. As much as I wanted her with me- _us_, I also wanted her to be safe. She shrugged and flashed a dazzling smile. "What? You guys have known my plan from the beginning."

She still wanted to be in the Recon Corps? Does she know how many people die out there?! _ I sound very hypocritical. And like Mom._ "Charlotte, you could very well die out there!" I exclaimed, trying to reign in my anger. "You too, Mikasa!" I added in with slight malice. I wasn't her child, she didn't have to protect me. She had so many skills she could use _alive!_

Char snorted at me, crossing her arms as an eyebrow rose. "Yes, Eren, and Titan's eat people," she bit back sarcastically. "What is your point? You could die out there, as well. Without Mikasa and I, you're already as good as dead." I saw her smile and I knew there was no changing their minds. Even though I could definitely survive without their help.. especially Mikasa's!

Well, now that I think about it, it could actually be fun having all of us there. I looked up at my best friends and grinned. "Alright. We'll do it together. The four of us!"

**I just wanted to get into Eren's cute angry head for a bit. It's fun writing Eren, though there sure is a lot of hand clenching aha. I want to clear up that Eren does love Mikasa (sibling!), but just gets tired of her hovering. I hope this sates your Cheren needs for a bit, because trainee chapter is up next (for real this time) ! I want to apologize if there's any inconsistencies from the last chapter, I don't think there are, but if so, sorry :) Chapter 5 will come very very soon!**

** Leave me some reviews if you wanna ;) **


	6. Chapter 5

**Wow! Almost 1,000 views! Thanks, everybody! I really appreciate you guys reading this :) And all the favourites and following is great! Special thanks to my reviewer, alaskan, for your super nice comment! I love being complimented aha ;) **

** For my birthday I got a new laptop, so I literally **_**just**_** transferred everything to this new one. So if anything looks different or strange, please tell me and I'll see what I can do! Thanks! **

** Anyway, here's chapter five- Finally trainee days! **

** I do not own anything besides my OC.**

**Chapter 5**

** Year 847**

It felt like I was being slowly boiled to be fed to the rich folk within Wall Sina. The sun beat down on the land, scorching the earth and the poor, unfortunate souls who were standing on it. I was one of those unfortunate souls, with a large number of other sweaty teens. If the sweltering heat wasn't bad enough, this was probably one of the most frightening moments of my life, and the nervous sweat pouring down my back was proof. Today would set the rudimentary foundation for my entire military career, ergo my life. I hope all that work in the fields somewhat helped prepare my body for the strenuous labor.

There were dozens of rows of fresh faced cadets, myself included, all red faced and antsy. Our instructor, Keith Shadis, was.. a very loud man, balding and short tempered. We had already witnessed multiple people break into tears under just his glare. "104th cadets!" He yelled, and everybody stilled. "You all are a bunch of worthless shitheads! It is more than likely most of you will not make it through the three year training period! Those of you who aren't totally worthless and make it will probably end up as Titan fodder!" I surveyed the faces of the people around me, trying not to focus on how much spit was flying out of his mouth. Now was definitely _not_ the time to laugh!

Instructor Shadis approached none other than Armin, who stood firm and ready. "Hey, you!"

Armin barely flinched as Shadis' hawk eyes fell on their prey. "Hai!"

"Who the hell are you?" Shadis barked loudly.

"Armin Arlelt, from Shiganshina District!" Armin said loudly. I could see the sweat increase on his brow as Shadis pulled a face of disgust.

"I see! That's a ridiculous name! Did your parents give it to you?" he leered tauntingly. My eyes narrowed. Why would you ridicule a sweet puppy like Armin?!

"No, my grandpa did, sir!"

"Arlelt!" He barked once more, leaning close to Armin's serious face. "Why are you here?"

"To help humanity achieve victory, sir!"

Our instructor's eyes narrowed for a split second before he began shouting again. _That guy's throat is gonna be so sore tonight_. "That's wonderful to hear! We can feed you to the Titans!" He turned Armin around before stalking off, ready to humiliate the next cadet. I glanced at Armin to make sure he was alright, but he was too tense to notice me.

"Who the hell are you?" he thundered in another blonde boy's face.

"Sir! Thomas Wagner from Trost District!"

It went on like this a for a few minutes, until he came across a horse like boy with a strange haircut. "Who the hell are you?"

"Jean Kirchtsein, from Trost District!" Jean said proudly.

"Why are you here, livestock?" Shadis blared.

A dreamy look passed over his equestrian face. "To join the Military Police Regiment and live in the Interior!"

Shadis stopped short. I saw Eren shoot Jean a short glare as Jean's face contorted into a look of fear. "Oh," Shadis began mockingly. "You wanna live in the Interior, do you?"

"Hai!" Jean smiled.

I don't think anyone was expecting the harsh contact of their skulls as Shadis headbutted him, especially not the spoiled halfwit. Jean fell to the floor, clutching his obstinate head. "Who said you could sit?!" Shadis bellowed. "If you can't handle this, you can forget about the Military Police!"

Jean's whimpers of pain reached my ears, and I felt a laugh bubbling up within me. _Oh God.. No.. Not here! _Unable to stop myself, I burst out laughing, clutching my sides as I heard Jean's groan. _Oh crap.._

Shadis spun to face me, and his yellow eyes penetrated deep into my soul.. Well they would have, if I was stable enough to stand straight. "Is something funny, cadet? Would you like a taste of what horse face had?"

Immediately, I righted my position, and my cackles turned to barely there chuckles. "N-no, sir! I apologize, sir!" I saw Eren looking at me exasperatedly out of the corner of my eye, and Mikasa's look of slight disbelief.

I almost thought he was going to headbutt me anyway, but he spoke. "Well, then just who the hell are you?"

I gulped. Why couldn't I just control my insane witch laughter?! "Charlotte Blanc, sir, of Shiganshina District!"

He nodded slightly, like the information didn't surprise him. _Pfft. As if he could tell_, I thought bitterly. "And why are you here, cadet? To laugh at your comrades pain?"

"No, sir! I'm here to devote my life to humanity's victory over the Titans, sir!" Oh. Was that what it was? I guess that was a nice way of wording it. His eyes narrowed further.

"Well, then you'll make excellent Titan feed!" Was that the best he could come up with?! He walked on to meet his next victim, and I almost sighed in relief. I felt my friends' (and a _lot_ of strangers') eyes on me for a while afterward, but shrugged it off. It couldn't be any worse than Potato Girl, or as I saw her, competition for food. Hopefully friendly competition.

He dismissed us after he sentenced her to basically run to death, and I made a mental note to not steal food when he was around.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

"Whoa. He _still_ has Potato Girl running," one of the cadets said in surprise.

"Man," the practically bald boy sniggered. "She's been at it for five solid hours. She's really something. Being told to run until she's on the verge of death didn't seem to bother her as much as being told she has to skip meals!" I cringed at the thought. Sure, a food shortage was one thing, but to have food right in front of you and get nothing? Horrifying! "Dauper's a small hunting village in the mountains, isn't it?" he continued, and I remembered him introducing himself as Connie Springer. Ah yes, he had gotten the salute wrong..

No one had the chance to respond, because Eren pointed out a small wagon in the distance. "What's that?" he asked, squinting at the rolling wagon.

Another girl from earlier today, Mina Carolina, didn't hesitate to answer. "They're dropouts. They asked to work in the fields instead."

"Whoa. It's only the first day, too," Armin muttered in shock. Who would ever want to go back those fields? Well, not everyone had been to the fields, but they were so _boring..!_

"That's just how it is," Eren stated solemnly. "If you can't cut it here, you have to leave." We all turned to face him at is harsh yet factual words.

"I can't believe anyone would want to pick up rocks and pull plants again." I voiced as I shuddered. Eren's green eyes locked on mine, and I knew he was thinking the same thing.

At my voice, Connie shot up and looked at me like I was a bear with three heads. "H-hey! You're the girl from earlier!" I rose a brow at him. "You know, the one who laughed when Jean got headbutted!" A blush rose to my cheeks as the humiliation threatened to engulf me again.

"Please," I groaned. "Let's not talk about it."

Eren shot me a crooked grin as he lightly elbowed my side. "I mean, I knew you had a loud laugh, Char, but damn!" Armin chuckled as well, and I smacked both of them lightly in the back of the head. "Ow!"

Marco Bodt, yet another cadet from earlier, suddenly rose and looked between the three of us. "So.. if you three know each other, does that mean you're from Shiganshina too, Eren? We never heard anything about where you're from."

Eren nodded, smiling as he placed a friendly hand on Armin and mine's shoulders. "Yeah, I'm from Shiganshina, same as them."

Their eyes all widened, and Marco gazed at our trio sadly. "Oh... that means..."

"You were there That Day, weren't you?" Connie interjected excitedly. Marco turned to stop him, but he kept talking. "Did you see the Colossal Titan?!"

My stomach dropped, and my eyes inadvertently dropped to the floor. My favourite boys noticed, and Eren placed his arm around me. "Yeah," he said, unsure where they were going with this. Oh, Eren, don't you see now they'll never shut up? Even if it had been years, did anybody really _like_ talking about it? Of course, I hadn't lost anybody personally to the Titans, at least not directly like Eren had. I couldn't say talking about it bothered me as much as the fact they had the nerve to bring it up in front of someone who did. I straightened as I leveled my gaze with Connie. _Did he have no tact?_

I was proven right on all accounts later that night. "Yes, I saw it!" Eren confirmed tiredly as I ate my tasteless, watery soup beside him.

I could tell he was tired of being asked the same questions. I threw a sickeningly sweet smile at the other trainees surrounding our table and spoke through my teeth. "Yes, we have both seen the Colossal Titan. Isn't this old news?" It was two years ago! "Besides," I added dryly. "It's not exactly something I'd strive to see." Our unwelcome posse began gasping and mumbling at this new information. Was it so hard to guess I had been there, too?

"Really?!" Their eyes ventured between us excitedly. "How big is it?!"

"Big enough to look over the wall," Eren stated plainly as his elbow brushed against mine. My elbow tingled slightly for a few moments afterward, but I didn't have time to dissect what that meant. More gasps filled the air.

"What?!" One boy yelled. "I heard it stepped _over _the Wall!"

"Me too!"

"My village said the same!"

I set my spoon gently on the table and sighed. "If a Titan of that caliber stepped over the Wall, we would have a lot more problems, wouldn't we?"

Eren chuckled lightly at my response. "He wasn't that big," he confirmed, lifting his spoon for another slurp of tasteless soup.

"What did it look like?" Mina leaned closer to the table, right next to cueball Connie.

"It had a huge mouth, and almost no skin," Eren described.

"Yeah, and it's hand was gross and red, and his head looked disproportionate to the rest of him," I added thoughtfully. Judging by the size of his hand and the brief look at his leg, his head seemed almost.. tiny in comparison.

"What about the Armored Titan that broke Wall Maria?" another screeched. The _Armored _Titan.. I guess it sounds better than the Muscled Titan. Definitely more threatening.

"That's what people call it, but it looked like an ordinary Titan to me," Eren said nonchalantly.

I glanced at him sideways. "Really? I thought he looked a lot different." The group's eyes turned to me quickly. I sighed. "He was tall, maybe around 15 meters? He was very stocky, and unlike the Colossal Titan, his skin seemed mostly grey. But shit, was that Titan _ripped!_ Muscles everywhere!" I cackled as their faces dropped in horror.

Eren laughed before shaking his head at me. "Char, there's no need to freak them out." I smiled innocently at him in response.

"What are ordinary Titans like?!" One boy, who looked rather constipated if you ask me, yelped.

I felt Eren tense next to me, the spoon dangling in front of his mouth. His eyes flashed briefly, and then his spoon splashed into his soup. "Eren!" I cried as his hands flew to his mouth. I shot my deadliest glare to the constipated moron who asked. I placed my hand on Eren's arm and glowered at the huddle. "Alright, you trivial gossip girls, party time's over-"

Eren's handed clapped on to mine. I glanced at him in surprise. "It's not like that," he barked, meeting the horrified eyes of the huddle. He tore into his bread with renewed vigor, and I peeked at him cautiously. "Titans aren't even that big of a deal. Once we master the 3DMG, they'll be nothing to us! We _finally_ get to train as soldiers," he continued determinedly, that wicked gleam back in his eye. "I was just overcome with emotion, that's all." I rose a brow at him. Yes, that's why everyone was worried, dumb ass. Eren and Mikasa had told me of the tragic death of his mother shortly after we arrived in Wall Rose. It was natural to feel sick at the memory.

"Eren-" I began irritatedly, but he grinned madly and cut me off. "I'm going to join the Scout Regiment and drive the Titans out of this world. I'll slaughter them all!" The unbidden, very random image of Eren sitting on a Titan's back while holding reigns entered my mind, and I let out a laugh. Eren looked quickly at me, taking offense when I shook my head. "Tell you later," I whispered through my laughter.

"This chick laughs at everything, doesn't she?" Connie murmured almost hopefully. _I'll let that slide._

"Whoa, what are you, crazy?" I glanced up to see none other than horse face- I mean _Jean_, smirking at Eren. "Did you say you're gonna join the Scout Regiment?"

I felt Eren tense as he stood up. _Ugh, not now, Eren.._ "Yeah, that's right," he retorted, prepared to argue. "Aren't you the one who wants to join the Military Police and live the easy life?"

Jean looked cockily back at him, that annoying smirk still plastered on his face. "I'm all about being honest, you see," he boasted. "It's much nicer than being, say, a loser who acts tough but is actually scared shitless."

I blanched. Crap, you horse faced moron, that is not something to say to Eren, of all people! His chair clattered to the ground, and I agitatedly rose with him, a silent yet amused defense behind him. I doubt Jean had even noticed me yet. "Are you talking about me?!" Eren demanded hotly, scowling at the pompous ass across from us.

Jean chuckled and strode to meet him in the middle of the mess hall. "Come on, it makes no difference to me!"

The bell rang outside, and I sighed in relief before darting to find Mikasa. She was just leaving the restrooms, rather close to us actually, and sent me a glance. "Eren is already making life long friends," I explained sarcastically, and she sighed. She could probably hear most of it from the bathroom, anyway. We strode past Jean, not that Mikasa and I payed any attention to him, but I could hear his sudden intake of breath. Mikasa was probably the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, so to Jean she probably looked like a goddess. I chuckled at his reaction.

His eyes trailed after her before landing on me, and his eyes bulged out of his head. "H-hey! You're that girl who laughed at me earlier!"

I turned tantalizingly slow, meeting his brown eyes with defiance. Oh, that's right, he hadn't seen me yet, had he? It was almost embarrassing that he recognized me by my laugh instead, but whatever. I stared at him (Armin always told me I had piercing eyes) and he almost cowered. "Yes, that's me. I would apologize, but after the way you treated my friend back there, I don't know if I should."

His mouth finally closed, and I didn't see the faint blush on his cheeks. "W-we made up! All is forgiven!"

I tilted my head, bronze hair swinging around me. I must have missed that part. I shrugged, figuring if Eren could forgive him, I could too. I didn't really want any enemies this early anyway. I smiled sweetly at him. "Well then, I'm sorry I laughed at you. I really must be going, my friends are waiting." True to my words, Mikasa stood silently at the door, watching our exchange with slight amusement in her grey eyes as I walked towards her.

"H-hey, wait!" We both turned to see a red faced Jean. "Uu-uh.. Err... I uh.. I've never seen anyone that looks like you before," he stuttered. "Either of you!" Hm. I knew Mikasa was the last of her kind, but was I really the last of the "French"? "S-sorry.. You both have very pretty hair."

Aw, well wasn't this guy a sweetie. He totally was sucking up to me because he thought Mikasa was hot. Who wouldn't?! "Thanks," we said in unison, her tone flat and mine cheery before walking out the door. I giggled as we caught up with Eren, and I saw her faint smile as I grabbed Eren's arm.

"You never think things through when you get worked up," Mikasa reprimanded Eren easily as she walked on his other side.

He sighed dejectedly. "That again?"

"It's true, Eren. The testosterone levels in that room were practically suffocating," I gagged as he lightly shook me off his arm.

"Anyway," he said offhandedly. "Don't you think you should cut your hair, Mikasa? It could cause an accident during 3DMG training," He stated as he ran his hand through her dark locks. I pouted.

"Nooo, Mikasa, you're hair is so pretty!" I smirked devilishly as I muttered, "We know Jean thinks so." If I squinted really, really, _really _hard, I could see the faintest of blushes on her face before she glanced at her hair.

"All right, I'll cut it," she agreed resolutely. "How short should I make it?"

"Aw, Mikasa!" I groaned. Her hair is so pretty! "If you're gonna chop it, only do a little. Please?!"

Eren turned his attention to me and sighed. "Charlotte, your hair is four times longer than Mikasa's. You'll definitely have problems with the gear." He hesitated for a moment, but then shot his hands toward my hair as well, fingering the long tresses. _Oh my God please don't see me blushing right now_.

"No way, Eren," I said stubbornly, shielding my face with my trusty hair. "I love my hair. You know there is something called a hair tie?" I drawled, sarcasm leaking into my words.

He scoffed. "Fine." He pulled gently on my hair. "But don't come crying to me when it gets yanked out."

I stared at him in horror. "Yanked... out? Oh my God, Eren, don't say horrible things like that! It will hear you," I growled and swatted him in the head. He laughed and Mikasa rolled her eyes at our antics. _You know you love me, Mikasa._

"Tomorrow is the aptitude test," I said conversationally. "I wonder how we'll do.."

Eren pounded his fist in his hand. "We have to do great! How else will we defeat the Titans?"

**Well there's chapter 5. I hope this isn't too boring for you guys! I'm taking most of the lines straight from the anime. Haha I just love how Jean is hopelessly into Mikasa, I thought if he had a **_**slight **_**crush on Charlotte it would be hilarious.**

** On a seriousish note, has anybody else noticed how disproportionate the Colossal Titan is?! His body is so huge and his head is so small! What's up with that, Isayama?**

** Aaanyway, tell me how you like it so far, and thanks to all who have read/favourited/reviewed/followed/whatever!**

** Love you guys, and thanks again! **


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long, I didn't have my laptop with me :P**

** I hope Charlotte isn't coming off as a Mary-Sue.. Really, the only thing she has in common with me is a loud laugh, but I don't think that's really Mary Sue territory aha. No one has complained so far, but I really hate Mary Sues and didn't want Charlotte to come off as one.**

** We're going to see a lot of inner Charlotte this chapter.. and a tad of Cheren (eh? Cheren? hmmm?) ;)**

** Thanks to digilover23, Mnbow07, antisocialwerewolf, and lAeroCluel for reviewing! And everyone else for reading and all that :)**

** Enjoy!**

**Chapter 6**

Holy crap balls, I was so not ready for that stupid test tomorrow. I was probably the least coordinated person to ever walk the earth. How exactly did I plan to make it as a soldier in the first place!? I groaned silently as I stared at the ceiling in our dorm, packed with snoring girls. Mikasa was in the bed below me, and I could hear her soft breathing. Damn, Mikasa is asleep, too. There was no absolutely no way I could sleep right now, I was far too nervous. I peeked dubiously over my bed for who knows what, maybe Shadis' feral eyes. I slowly crawled out of bed- or at least, I attempted to before crashing to the floor. "Putain enfer!" I hissed in pain, copying what my father used to say out of habit.

Oh God, this was only proving how non-soldier material I am. Was there a rule against leaving the bunks at night? _This isn't some sort of cookie making camp,_ I reminded myself forcefully, checking once more to make sure everyone was asleep before slipping out the door. Ah, sweet air! It felt wondrous out here! My skirt swished around my ankles as I walked aimlessly. I really hope there isn't a curfew.. I kicked mindlessly at a pebble as I stewed over my worth as a soldier. What good was I to humanity out in the fields?!

I was shoved out of my reverie as a body collided with mine, sending me towards the ground. "What the-" I squeaked. A firm hand grasped my arm, saving me from hitting the ground for the second time in fifteen minutes. I took a deep breath before meeting the person's eyes, afraid that Shadis would be glaring at me, dangling a half eaten potato in my face. Before I could gather the nerve to speak, a rather familiar voice broke the silence of night. "Ch-Charlotte? What the hell are you doing out here?"

My head jerked up, and I laughed as silently as possible (which was still not very quiet) in surprise. "Well, what do you know? It's you, Eren!" I sighed, happy to escape with my life tonight. "I thought for sure you were Shadis ready to devour me."

Eren sniggered at the scenario before looking at me questioningly. "What are you doing out here, Char?"

I shuffled my feet, embarrassed. There was no point lying to Eren, though. "To be honest, I'm just worried about that stupid test tomorrow," I confessed, not meeting his eyes. A dry chuckle slipped past my lips. "We all know I'm not the most.. graceful person." I sank down to the ground, leaning against a random building. Eren joined me silently as I continued, practically in hysterics. "I mean, just getting out of the bunks I fell out of my freaking bed! There's no way I can pass," I mumbled with my head down, massaging my temples.

A hand gripped my arm again, and Eren turned me to face him. I held back a gasp. His eyes were truly mesmerizing.. Even in the night, they shined with their own personal light. "Listen, Char," he said, gentle yet strong. "You may not be the most graceful person here, but you don't need to be graceful to be good at 3DMG. You need to be smart, and you're one of the smartest people I know." My eyes snapped to his, surprised. I felt the cursed blood flood my cheeks and prayed it was too dark to see.

"Aw, Eren, you're such a sweetie," I chirped as I snuggled into his side, effectively hiding my face. "But really, thank you." I felt his arm slowly wrap around my body, and I was suddenly hyper aware of every inch of my body. _Okay this is new, just gonna roll with it_.. His arm tightened around me as he sighed. "What's wrong, Eren?" I asked as I looked at him from under my lashes. "Oh, that's right! Why are _you_ out here? Shouldn't you be resting for the test tomorrow?"

His brow furrowed in frustration. "I-I actually came out here for the same reason as you," he admitted bashfully. I leaned back so I could face him fully, taking care to stay in his arms. What? He was warm, okay?! That's it!

"Wow! Well, aren't we two peas," I drawled. "It's good to know I'm not the only one."

I leaned back into him, and his head rested on my hair. Was.. was he sniffing my hair? Before I could confirm my suspicion, he quickly started talking. "Seriously, Charlotte, don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll do great! Then we can go and slaughter Titans together!"

I snorted. "Yeah, that'll be so exciting! In three years," I deadpanned, and he shook me slightly, turning serious.

"Do.. do you really want to join the Scouts, Char?" His voice was soft, too soft for Eren. I broke our hold entirely, and I belatedly realized I missed his warmth already.

"Come on, Eren, you know I've wanted to join for a while now," I said, impatience slightly seeping into my voice. "Why do you keep asking?"

He ran his hands through his chocolate hair, and I noted it looked soft. _Beside the point!_ I screeched inwardly, waiting for his response. "I just.. I'm not stupid. I know it's dangerous out there," he said a few moments later. His eyes, so green and determined, locked on mine. "I just don't want anything to happen to you!" It was a silent for a moment as I stared at him. His jaw snapped open as he hurriedly amended, "Any of you! I don't want you guys to follow me to your potential death," he admitted quietly.

I sighed and tousled his hair (which _was_ rather soft, I couldn't help but notice). "Eren, first off, no one is doing this for you." I paused. "Well, except Mikasa, but she is nothing if not devoted." He grunted and I smirked, knowing her protectiveness annoyed him sometimes. "The point is, Eren, you can't stop us. And if we do die," I continued nonchalantly as his worried eyes pierced mine. "then we die, hopefully fighting. Nothing to be done. Certainly not your fault. Besides, we all know Mikasa would be the last person to die. She's too good at everything."

"I have to agree with that," he grimaced begrudgingly as we stood.

"Look, Eren," I demanded fiercely, grasping his shoulders between my hands. "Don't worry about the test tomorrow, either. I'm sure you'll be a super master pro, and defeat all the Titans and blah blah blah." He wrestled out of my hold before we began laughing.

A light cast a sudden glow over the ground and I squealed. "Charlotte, it's your damned laugh!" Eren choked, speaking through silent laughter.

"Shut up!" I hissed angrily, immediately backing away from the intruding light. "I have to go now, obviously, but I'll see you tomorrow!" He nodded, and I ducked out of sight. As I was chucking it back to the cabin, I still managed to hear his whispered "Goodnight".

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

"Get up, Charlotte." Groaning, I scowled at Mikasa's monotone voice. I yawned, stretching like a cat before jumping out of bed. The feel of my feet on the hard floor reminded me of my late night excursion. It confirmed that it wasn't a dream, which I had been debating, but this morning I felt nothing but unease. I was still worried about that stupid test today, regardless of Eren's reassuring words last night.

A groan escaped my lips. "Ugh, I am not ready for this test!" I moaned to no one in particular.

A dark head of pigtails popped into my vision. "Don't worry!" Mina chirped. "All of us are nervous. I'm sure you'll do fine, too." She smiled cheerily at me. I returned it groggily, quickly throwing on the trainee uniform.

I walked to the cafeteria with Mikasa. It was a silent walk, but it was nice just to be in each others' presence. "I hope it isn't that poor excuse of soup again," I muttered darkly as we pushed through the door. Mikasa smiled softly as we stood in line. "Oh, yes!" I cheered. "Bread! And some.. uh, solid mushy stuff." Prodding the strange mush with my spoon, I inspected it warily. Mikasa sighed, and dragged me to the table Eren and Armin were sitting at. "Hey, guys!" I sang happily as I plopped down next to Armin.

"Hey, Charlotte, Mikasa," Armin greeted with a smile. "Did you guys sleep well last night?" Eren's jaw tensed slightly, for whatever reason, but I laughed. "Oh, sure. I slept like someone who had a make it or break it test in the morning."

Armin looked at me sympathetically. "I take it not well, then?" I shook my head. Apparently Eren hadn't told him about our little adventure last night. I wondered at his reasoning and decided I would ask him about it later. Then again, I hadn't told Mikasa either, mainly because I didn't think about it. Perhaps it was the same for Eren?

The rest of our breakfast went by quickly, and I spent it learning more about my new comrades. It flew by, and before I knew it I was back in the scorching sun waiting to be judged. I was once again sweating profusely, and I wanted to smack myself for being so nervous.

_"You don't need to be graceful_ _to be good at 3DMG. You need to be smart, and you're one of the smartest people I know." _My face became slightly hotter, but with the heat out here I could have just been having a heat stroke. I couldn't feel anything beside my fear of failure and the roasting heat.

"Mikasa Ackerman!" Shadis yelled, and Mikasa calmly strode to the harness. She was.. she was flawless! She was hardly even swaying! Her newly cut hair, courtesy of a begrudging me, danced lightly in the breeze. I almost cheered her on, but quickly refrained. "Good job, Ackerman," Shadis said, obviously impressed. Mikasa returned to her spot next to me and I sent her a thumbs up.

"Charlotte Blanc!" I gulped. Okay, moment of truth, nothing to be nervous about. Mikasa's hand lightly brushed mine as I made my way to the equipment. I got into the harness relatively easily, and Thomas hoisted me up. It was a strange feeling, floating in the air like that. However, I had no time to dwell on it. I quickly realized that it was all about weight distribution, and spread my weight evenly, making my waist my center and balancing with my legs. I hung suspended in the air with subtle movement- I was doing it! I wasn't as good as Mikasa, of course, but I wasn't doing bad at all!

They lowered me, but I hardly noticed. I can't believe I didn't fail! "Good job, cadet," Shadis praised as I passed. I could practically feel my heart glowing as I came to halt next to Mikasa, immediately putting my hand up for a high five. She stared at me and raised her hand, slowly and unenthusiastically, before tapping it against mine. I'll take it!

"Eren Jaeger!" Eren met my eyes swiftly, and I smiled at him in encouragement. He looked away, a minute grin of his own on his face as he walked to the equipment. He got strapped in the harness. I was completely prepared to see his defiant grin as he sat there motionlessly. What I and everyone else was not prepared for was his sudden flip, his hair touching the ground as he dangled helplessly. "What are you doing, Jaeger?" Shadis yelled as gasps and snickers rose in the audience.

"How the hell do you work these things?" Eren cried in horror, still hanging upside down. Not even I could laugh at this moment (although he did look ridiculous). This was Eren's dream! He couldn't slaughter all the Titans unless he passed this aptitude test!

Mikasa, Armin, Eren and I all returned to the testing spot after lunch (which was more unidentifiable mush), and Eren was practically convulsing. "Eren, calm down," I soothed. "Mikasa is practically an expert already. If anyone can help, it's undoubtedly her." He glowered enviously at Mikasa before nodding and stepping up the harness. Mikasa gave him a relatively simple explanation on how to stay balanced.

"I'm sure you'll get it this time! I did it, after all," Armin chimed.

"Alright, pull me up, Armin." We all watched in anticipation. Eren's boots lifted off the dusty ground.. A sudden cry from Eren as he began tottering-

_**WHACK!**_

__"Oh my God, Eren!" I cried as we all hurried towards him. His head had literally slammed into the ground! "He could be seriously injured!" I yelped unhelpfully as Mikasa and Armin lifted him. "I'll uh... I'll go get some bandages!" They hardly acknowledged me as I sprinted off, hoping my friend didn't suffer some sort of brain trauma. Eren had too few brain cells to lose any more!

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

Eren sat dazedly across from me during dinner that night, my supreme bandaging skills showing on his newly wrapped head. "Hey, Daz, isn't that the kid who said he was going to kill all the Titans? Guess it's off to the fields for him tomorrow," one trainee joked. I glanced at Eren, attempting to gauge his reaction. I turned to the cocky cadets and sent them an icy glare, and they immediately stopped talking. It was nice to know I could still be intimidating...

"Eren." Eren jumped as Mikasa gently nudged his shoulder.

"There's no point in worrying about it," Armin said helpfully next to me. "You can just learn to do it tomorrow!"

"I'm pathetic," Eren whimpered.. well, pathetically. "There's no way I can wipe them out like this."

Mikasa straightened. "You should just forget about that altogether." We all spun at her words. _Now?!_

"Uh, isn't it a bit late for that, Mikasa?" I interjected warily. "I mean we're already here, might as well go for it."

"What?!" Eren demanded. "Charlotte's right, we just got here, and you think you can convince me to leave _now?!" _

Mikasa stared straight ahead, not meeting any of our eyes. "I'm saying you should give up trying to be soldier. Fighting isn't about simply throwing your life away."

Eren's bandaged head (which was extremely well bandaged, by the way) turned incredulously. "Mikasa, I saw what happened that day! You and Charlotte did, too! How do you expect me to just quit?"

"It doesn't matter how determined you are, Eren," she continued vacantly as Eren's mouth swung open. "Charlotte did just fine with her test. So did Armin, and so did I. You don't get to choose if you're fit to be a soldier or not."

Eren blanched, unable to fight with her logic. I didn't know what to say- Mikasa was right. However, Eren was more determined than almost all the people here combined..

The bell sounded, and all the cadets started milling out the door. Mikasa either didn't notice or plainly didn't care. "I'm not saying you should return to the fields alone..."

Eren ignored her. "Come on, you two," he demanded quietly to Armin and I. Armin nodded and rose from his seat.

"B-but she's still talking!" I whispered, hesitant to leave or stay as Mikasa talked, seemingly into her soup. Eren grabbed my arm and pulled me out of my seat, and I just managed to grab the rest of my bread roll. "Eren, that's rude!" I scolded as he dragged me out the door. "She's sitting there talking to herself now, basically!"

Eren grunted. "Mikasa's wrong. Determination and will power can win over anything! .. Right, Armin?"

Armin started, and looked around uneasily. "Um.. Maybe we should talk to some of the other guys and get their advice," he suggested sheepishly.

"Seriously? Not you, too," Eren groaned. "Fine. We'll see you later, Char."

"See you, Charlotte!" Armin called as Eren stomped to the boys' dorms. I waved after them and stood for a moment, unsure of what to do. I guess I'll go back to check on Mikasa.

When I reentered the cafeteria, I was met with the oddest, most unexpected scene. Sasha was sitting next to Mikasa with a look of heartbroken betrayal while Mikasa was stuffing bread in her mouth. "Whaaat the hell is going on here?" I questioned loudly. Sasha's head shot up at me and Mikasa's eyes shifted in slight surprise.

Sasha practically leaped out of her seat, her eyes narrowed on something in my hands. Oh no, she saw my- "Bread?!" she squealed manically. Her pleading eyes met mine. "Charlotte.. Oh good friend of mine Charlotte.."

"Sasha, we've known each other for two days," I stated bluntly.

"I can tell we'll be great friends," Sasha continued. "Can I.. please have your bread?" I glanced between my bread and Sasha's desperate face. I sighed. I was nothing if not the best person alive.

"Here, we can split it." Her eyes shone, whether with tears or gratitude I didn't care to find out. She hastily grabbed her half of the bread before embracing me quickly.

"Thank you, Charlotte!" she proclaimed dramatically. "I won't forget this!" She darted out of the room, and I peered at Mikasa, who shrugged in response.

"Sorry I left- I didn't seem to have much of a choice," I apologized with a chuckle as we began our walk to the dorms.

Mikasa's steel eyes met mine. "Don't worry about it. I know Eren can be rather.. pushy."

I laughed, bumping our shoulders together. "Look, Mikasa, I know you want Eren to be safe, but I really don't think anything can keep him from his goal if he tries hard enough. And Eren is the most determined person I know." I paused, debating whether I should tell her about Eren and I's unplanned meeting last night. Eh, what the hell. "Last night," I began softly. "I sneaked out of the dorms." Mikasa glanced at me, seeming genuinely surprised. "I was too worried about that damned test, and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep.

"I was just walking around, when suddenly Eren bumped in to me. Needless to say, we were both pretty surprised." I chuckled and felt her attentive eyes on me. "He asked me what I was doing out, and I told him. He actually gave me some really nice advice," I said as I grinned. "Surprising, I know. It turned out he was out there for the same reason. He was a nervous as I was, maybe even more. But we both parted last night feeling a little more confident."

Mikasa eyed me quizzically, probably wondering why I told her that story. I sighed. "The point is, I've never seen him so nervous about something before, and apparently for good reason." I stopped walking and faced her completely. "We have to let him try, Mikasa. We have to support him and be there for him, because he needs us, though he'd never admit it. I know Eren can do it. He needs to know you think so, too." I exhaled in exhaustion. That was a freaking mouthful. Mikasa was silent for a moment before nodding, lightly taking my hand in hers.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Sometimes I forget.. Eren isn't so little anymore.."

I laughed. "Don't worry, Mikasa, I'm still pretty sure he would die without you around." Her grip tightened on my hand, but I saw the slight smile on her lips. "I feel like a saint. I wrapped a poor injured boy's head and gave some bread to a desolate girl. Feel free to kneel before me anytime."

Mikasa simply sighed before taking my arm and dragging me back to the dorm.

**Okay, that should be getting all you Cheren fans happy :) just some more Charlotte/Mikasa bonding time. I'm thinking about an Armin and Charlotte bonding next? I do love Armin, that little bowl headed nerd.**

** "Putain enfer" means f****g hell in French, according to Google Translate :P. I just thought it would be fun to pass down those French roots and may have her randomly blurt little phrases in French. This isn't called the French Mistake for nothing! ;) I have plans haha! I actually don't know if the languages would have survived, but just roll with it okay? Thanks :P**

** Please feel totally free to drop me some reviews! The feedback is always appreciated and I love hearing what you guys think. See you soon! :)**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hellooo, CAN YOU SEE THE NEW COVER PHOTO? Very special thanks to my sister for drawing Charlotte, and I hope it's at least somewhat like you pictured her :) Also, I apologize for the wait. I don't even know why there was one but oh well.**

** Thank you thank you thank you to my lovely reviewers digilover23, Heart of A Mew, Ebitch, and a very special and heartfelt apology to French Person and all French people.**

** French Person: I'm sooo sorry like really I wasn't trying to butcher your language, so thanks a million for being so nice and giving me real French stuff :) I really appreciate it!**

**Chapter 7**

The next morning was much like the last. Mikasa woke me up, and we (well, mainly me) chatted with some of the other girls. Everyone here seemed very friendly, except for one girl named Annie. She was very pretty, with blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and a strong nose. She kept mostly to herself, and hardly talked to anyone. I made a note to try and befriend her eventually; it would be awful if she was all alone for three years! Breakfast passed without incident- Eren stared drearily at the table while the rest of us nervously peeked at him. Mikasa actually did apologize, but she might as well not have for all Eren cared.

"Eren. I.. I apologize for what I said yesterday," Mikasa said calmly. Eren didn't even twitch. Mikasa shuffled slightly as she turned in her seat to face him. "I should have shown more belief in you." Eren didn't even look at her, but not out of malice. He was too wrapped up in his nerves to pay attention to anything.

"Well, no one can say you didn't try," I said plainly as I patted her arm. She nodded slightly, yet stayed silent for the rest of breakfast. Usually I didn't mind silences, but everyone's nerves (mainly Eren's) were rubbing off on me. "So, Armin, what did you guys do last night after I left?" I asked, turning to him next to me.

A calculated look rose on his face. "Well, first we talked to Connie and Jean." His nose scrunched up. "They weren't much help. Kind of jerks, actually," he remarked thoughtfully as I laughed.

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

"After that failed attempt, we tried Reiner Braun and Bertholt Hoover. They gave Eren some really nice tips, so hopefully he can do it today!"Armin said hopefully. I smiled, and at the sound of the bell rose with a tiny groan from my seat. Armin and I casually talked until we reached the harness equipment, Eren and Mikasa following silently behind us.

"Man, those two are scaring me," I muttered to Armin. "Mikasa I'm used to being silent, but Eren?"

Armin nodded quickly. "I have to admit I'm worried about him. But I know he can do it! Like I said, if I can, he can," he said cheerily as we dropped into our line.

I abruptly turned to him, slow lava trickling into my veins. "_La ferme,_ Armin. You have got to stop that," I said imperitavely. He looked at me in surprise, blond hair swishing in his eyes. "You can't keep putting yourself down like that! Eren may be more athletic than you, but that doesn't mean he's better than you. _No one_ is better than you." Blue eyes met mine warily as their owner sighed.

"Lottie, I really don't think-"

"Are you ready, Jaeger?" Shadis interrupted our conversation with a sneer. Eren nodded shakily as he strapped himself in the harness, belt clicking weakly in confirmation. Wait, do the belts usually click like that..? I turned to Armin, who wore the same expression of confusion, both quickly forgetting the almost argument. "Pull him up, Thomas."

Once more, Eren's boots lifted off the ground. His lean form rose into the air, tousled hair blowing slightly. His form was stable! "I'm doing it!" A grin lit up his face, meeting Mikasa and I's eyes. He was in the clear! "Wha-?!" Eren suddenly started tottering, and he was once again flipped upside down, horror streaking his face as his hair brushed the dirt floor. "No! I can still do it!" His eyes shone, and I prayed he wouldn't cry.

Shadis inspected Eren's pathetic form and motioned to Thomas. "Put him down." With a sudden flop, Eren's body slumped to the ground. He fell on his knees, face bathed in disbelief.

"No! I'm.. I.." His whimpers filled the air, and I felt Mikasa stiffen next to me. My hands curled into fists. No, it was impossible..

"Wagner, switch belts with Jaeger!" Shadis commanded, and Thomas hastened to remove his belt. What? The belts?! Could Armin and I really have been on to something?

A few moments later, Eren was successfully suspended in the air, only slightly swaying. Eren looked down at himself in shock. "Your equipment was defective," Shadis explained hollowly. "The belt you were using had a broken clasp." His sunken eyes glared at the malfunctioning device, yanking at the cheap leather. "I've never heard of this part breaking before; I guess we'll have to to add it to the maintenance checklist."

The crowd stared blankly at Eren's stable form. "So.. even with the broken equipment, he still managed to..?!"

"Whoa!"

Eren, surprised, glanced hopefully at Shadis. "Am I fit to be a soldier, then?!"

Shadis' tanned skin crinkled in what may or may not have been a smile. "You pass. Train hard!"

Almost vibrating with excitement, Eren shot his arms to the sky in victory. "I did it! I DID IT!" He shouted to the heavens."What do you think of that, Mikasa?! I can do it!" Mikasa's mouth hung open as he gloated.

"If you would have been paying attention, she already told you she knew that," I mumbled with a smile. I cheered wildly, bumping my arm with Armin half in celebration and half as a reminder that our previous conversation was not over.

"His eyes say, 'What do you think of that?'" Armin said happily.

Mikasa's quiet voice piped up from beside me. "No. He feels relieved he doesn't have to leave us now." Armin and I turned to her in slight shock. I thought he was just happy to be a true soldier, but whatever!

After our small celebration for Eren, I dragged Armin off to a random building, motioning for him to sit on the steps with me. He shook his head wearily but complied nonetheless with my subtle demands. "Why do you always think so low of yourself, Armin?" I questioned in a low voice. He lowered his head, his hair shielding most of his face. "You're so much better than what you believe."

"Oh really?" He retorted quickly, surprising me. "And how is that, considering I always need to be saved from everything?! Bullies, Titans, everything!" His voice dropped and my heart constricted. "I'm only a burden."

"If you're a burden, you're a very light load, Armin," I whispered as I squeezed him to my chest. "I would take thirty of you. Why, you're so light a burden I would say you're not even a burden at all! You're one of my _best friends_, in the entire world, and you always will be, and even if you _were_ a burden it would take a lot more than that for me to think any differently."

I could feel him shaking ever so slightly against me as I spoke, but before I could say anything he said feebly, "Do you really believe that, Lottie? Really?"

With my hand firmly in his, I nodded fiercely and said, "With all my heart."

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

The afternoon found us soaring the air, and it reminded me of my last moments with my dad. _For you, Dad. I hope you're proud. _I saw something whiz by me, and a small shout reached my ears. "Hey, you wanna start something, Jaeger?" I taunted as I increased my speed to catch up to him. He grinned wolfishly, and we whooped and hollered through the thick forest.

"No, but I'll finish it!" he retorted as he swooped in front of me. I scoffed, racing to his side. I darted into the thick foliage and heard Eren's grunt of surprise. _Got you now, Eren! _I followed him swiftly through the trees, making sure I was always a little ahead of him. As the exercise was coming to an end, I shot my hook into the tree right in front of the finish line. Using the gas, my speed easily pushed me in front of him, effectively cutting him off.

"Ha ha, Eren!" I cackled maniacally. "You can't finish what you never started!" I landed gracefully on the ground, brushing the tree debris off my uniform.

"No fair!" Eren whined with a slight glare as he landed next to me. "You cheated or something!"

I rose an eyebrow. "Oh really? And how could I have done that?" His mouth fumbled for a moment before he angrily sighed, a slight pout on his lips. I patted his brown, leaf covered head. "Don't worry, Eren! It's only because I'm better than you in almost every single way," I mocked in a comforting voice.

"Whatever, Char. I bet I'll rank higher than you in the top ten." He cockily slung a casual arm around my shoulder as we walked to where the other trainees were supposed to land.

I turned to him, slightly surprised. "Are you aiming for the top ten? In that case, you probably will score higher than me. I have no intention of making it in the top ten, even though I know I could." I sounded a little cocky, sure, but I was positive I could rank in the top _five_ if I wanted to. I snorted. "Let some little Military Police asshats wriggle their way in there. The top ten serves no purpose for me."

Eren stared at me in disbelief. "But- but don't you want to prove to people that you can make it!?" I knew he was thinking of Mikasa as he said this, but I shook my head.

"Everyone I needed to prove things to are already gone, Eren." My parents' faces flashed through my mind, and my heart gave a subtle ache. Eren's eyes turned sympathetic, his arm around me tightening. "And even if they were still around, I know they would be happy even if I ranked last. Besides, the only other people I care about already know how amazing I am," I jeered as I flicked his ear.

"Ow," he muttered, rubbing his offended ear. "But yeah, I can't argue with that. I already know you're awesome." A small heat rose within me, quickly fighting its way to my cheeks. _Curse you!_ I thought angrily. _Damn hormones!_ I laughed, hoping he would think the redness in my face was because of the never ending heat.

It was the beginning of a long three years.

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*

**Year 850**

"Run faster, you useless cods!"

My feet pounded the ground and water splashed around them, splattering my boots that were already caked in mud. The rain screamed at us, lamenting all the sorrows of the last hundred years on our heads as we ran, the wind howling complaints and defiance as it beat us back. Two years of rigorous and painful training had done wonders for some cadets like myself, but that did not by any means rationalize the conditions we were forced to train in today.

I lingered somewhere near the front of the horde due to my love of running which was born simply because I knew running was now an essential to living. If you can't run in this world, you need to fight-however, when fighting is impossible, running is the next best thing, and against Titans you need to be _fast._ Unfortunately, not everyone here excelled in physical strength.

"What's your problem, Arlelt?" Shadis glared down upon us like a sovereign overlord, literally on his high horse as our boots temporarily scarred the mud beneath them. He had drawn back to the end of the group, where Armin was. "You're dragging your feet!" He sneered down at Armin's struggling form as he taunted, "Too heavy for you? Maybe you would prefer I allow you to drop your gear?" Even though he was far away from me, I could almost feel Armin's panting on my shoulder and see his defeated expression. I bit my lip, contemplating dropping back to help him. "If this were a real mission, you would be Titan food by now!"

Even through the freezing rain, I could feel my blood begin to simmer. So what if Armin wasn't the most physically fit guy here? He could probably defeat every one of us with five seconds worth of planning. Even in a world full of Titans, brawn isn't the only important thing- brains matter more than anything in the heat of a fight, and Armin had plenty. I began to shift my way toward the middle of the crowd, manuevering my way closer to Armin among the dozens of green hoods. A wet, slippery hand clasped onto my arm and halted my progression. I turned a wicked eye to my aggressor, and was beyond shocked to see a freckled face staring back at me.

"M-Marco!?" I yelped as he pulled me into a spot beside him. He panted and nodded, glancing sparingly at me as Shadis continued to holler behind us. "Why did you stop me?! Someone has to help Armin!"

Marco shook his head with a knowing smile that I had become increasingly familiar with over the past two years. "You have to let him do things for himself sometimes, Charlotte," he panted softly. "He isn't... he isn't a child anymore." My jaw dropped for a moment, rain slipping inside and almost causing me to choke. I snapped my mouth shut and glanced at Marco amusedly.

"When did you become such a wise guru, Marco? When you first came out of the womb?"

He wheezed what I assumed was a laugh. "You just learn.. as life.. goes on," he said between gasps, and I sighed again.

"Alright, I get it, you're just going to have some philosophical, deep response every time I say something. Fine," I joked as I lightly pushed him. He sent me a cheerful smile in response, content I decided to listen to him for once. Where would we be without Marco?

We concluded our run after a while, and luckily the rain had finally let up, revealing a surprisingly sunny day. We were back to the thick forest, using our 3DMG and blades to hack up "Titans". These Titans were actually just pieces of cardboard with a "sensitive" spot on the neck for us to slice. It was one of my favourite excercises, and luckily once I excelled at, which made me feel pretty great considering it was a pretty important part of being a soldier.

"Oh, you are mine," I muttered to a rapidly approaching fake Titan near the end of the training period. I heard the distinct sound of 3DMG close to me and sped up so I would reach the target first. Swinging back my blades, I tucked my body close together, and upon nearing the neck began to spin and build up my momentum. I sliced through the neck, deeply and cleanly, and immediately began seeking a new target.

"Damn," a low whistle sounded behind me. "Remind me to stick with you during a real Titan fight." I turned to see Connie and laughed.

"Thanks, cueball." I surveyed the area and saw Jean nearing us. "Hey, why don't you go follow Jean? You can steal all his kills," I offered with a grin. Connie smiled deviously and winked at me before flying off after Jean. A flash of red caught my eye and instantly reminded me of Mikasa's scarf, so I took off after it. I had already slain a number of fake Titans in the allotted time, so I watched interestedly as Mikasa deeply sliced two necks almost simultaneously. I was almost on par with her skill, and I openly admitted on numerous occasions that I wished I was just a _little_ better so I would match her. Eren came swiftly behind her, and his incisions were slightly more shallow, much to his obvious dismay.

I smirked as I took off after him with an onslaught of degrading yet helpful advice on my lips. 

*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o* 

Even after all this time, the cafeteria food remained the same. Between rock hard bread, tasteless soup with what may have been potato slices, and still mysterious mush, I could usually guess what was being served days in advance. "What did I say today's was going to be again, Mikasa?" I asked as we walked towards the cafeteria the next morning.

"Tasteless soup." Mikasa had only gotten more beautiful over the years. To my chagrin, she kept her hair the same short length, which was the polar opposite of mine. True to my words years ago, I never did cut my hair, and it was now about at my waist. I often liked to mock Eren about how _no, _I did not have any problems with the gear, and how _yes_, I am actually better at it than him.

"Ah yes, tasteless soup," I sighed. "My second favourite." I burst through the doors, Mikasa following much less dramatically in behind me, and lazily checked our breakfast to see if I was correct. "Ah, Pauline, you are very predictable!" I called as I went through the line and collected the soup, earning a scowl from the server. I scrambled to correct myself. "A nice kind of predictable! Who wants surprise food? Not me!" She grumbled in response, and I hastily ran to our table where Eren and Armin were.

Armin had definitely grown over the last two years. He was taller than me (for_ now)_, and he had gained a little muscle over the vigorous years of training. If Armin looked good, Eren looked.. well, great, I guess. He was much more toned, and he was very proud of showing off his six pack of abs (**A/N YOU KNOW HE HAS THEM OKAY)**. His chocolate hair was always slightly unkempt, but in a (dare I say it) cute way. He had also sprouted up, even taller than Armin. I felt like I was a lost little pig surrounded by demigods; Armin would always steadily assure me that I looked good as well when I complained, but he was too smart to be trusted.

"Hello, friends!" I exclaimed as I slid in next to Armin. "How are you gentlemen this fine morning?" Eren snorted at me, and Armin chuckled as Mikasa sat next to Eren.

"Hey, Lottie!" I turned my head to see non other than Sasha barreling towards me. It was more than our mutual love of food (though her's was borderline obsession) that brought us to be close friends. Sasha was actually extremely nice, and had taken to sitting with our group, along with Connie, and on some occasions even Jean.

"Hey, Sasha! I didn't see you this morning, where were you?" Usually, Sasha went with Mikasa and I to our meals, but this morning she was absent.

Her mouth began to water as she sat on my other side, which was never a good sign. "I was walking by the kitchen when this little friend called my name," she explained, only half lucid as she pulled out a potato, of all things. I leaned towards her, narrowing my eyes at the vegetable.

"Where and how exactly was it calling your name?" I asked quizzically. Sasha opened her mouth, but I raised my hand to stop her with a hungry grin. "Never mind. Are you going to share with your best friend Charlotte?" Her face lit up and she nodded happily. I was one of the few to never seriously question her methods, mainly because I didn't care, and she always shared with me so I wasn't complaining. She quickly broke it in half (real halves) and I cheered. We dug in to our prize, our group hardly paying us any mind. They were used to this by now, but I never felt any less grateful towards Sasha, nor she towards me when the roles were reversed.

As I was munching on my lukewarm potato, I finally tuned in to the conversation the others were having. "Today is hand to hand combat again," Connie groaned. Ah, hand to hand combat; it always reminded me of my dad, and I excelled in that area if only to make him proud, wherever he was. The only person who could match me was Annie (and Mikasa, of course), but even through my determined efforts at friendship we were close acquaintances at best.

"Great, now Charlotte can kick all our asses again," Eren grumbled with the tiniest smile.

I laughed and threw my arm around Armin. "Oh, poor baby Eren, can't handle that I'm better than him in _every single area._"

Eren's arms crossed as an aggravated look crossed his face. "It just doesn't make sense! You're better than almost everyone here, and you're not even aiming for the top ten to show it!" I tossed Eren a hot glare as almost everyone at our table gasped.

"Char, you're not going for the top ten?!" Sasha gasped, potato only partially forgotten in her hand.

"Oh no, don't tell me you're joining the Scouts! Eren!" Connie barked. Eren jumped in surprise. "Did you convince Charlotte to join you on your death wish?!"

My jaw dropped in shock. They didn't think I was so easily swindled into life or death situations, did they?! "No way!" Eren snapped loudly, and I mentally smacked him; he was getting riled up. "I would never ask her to risk her life, especially not for me!"

"Eren." He whipped to face me, his eyes burning holes in my skull. "Calm down." The hardness in his green eyes slightly softened. I faced Connie. "Connie, do you really think I'd be so easily swayed to my death?" His eyes widened, almost frightened. I smiled at him, to let him know I wasn't mad. And I wasn't, but after three years, I assumed they would have known me better by now. "Everyone who cares should know by now that I've planned to join the Scouting Legion since way before day one." Connie and Sasha bowed their heads slightly, and I rolled my eyes, letting out a confused chuckle. "Alright, everyone, calm down. This really isn't news." Connie's mouth opened to speak, but the bell sounded before he could. I stood with Armin and left the mess hall, still contemplating the conversation.

"Lottie?" Armin nudged me lightly as we walked towards the training area.

"Oh, sorry, Armin. I just don't know why everyone was acting so weird. I thought everybody knew I was planning to join the Scouts." I shrugged with a laugh and linked our arms. "I guess it doesn't really matter, does it?" Armin was silent, his face hidden from me by his golden hair. I rose an eyebrow, confused. "Armin..?"

"Charlotte, one day you'll realize.." His voice faded, and I tilted my head in confusion.

"Armin? What are you-"

"Come on," he urged as we finally reached our destination. "Let's be sparring partners, okay?" He smiled at me, and I grinned in return, deciding to worry about whatever he was talking about later.

"Hey, as long as you aren't a sore loser like Eren, I'm game," I jeered loudly as Eren passed us. He sent me a playful glare as he got into his position with Reiner. Reiner was actually a really fun guy, and I was proud to call him my friend, along with Bertholt. I turned from my two friends and faced Armin again, shifting into my fighting stance, which had only undergone slight alterations from all those years ago. Armin followed the standard fighting stance and we squared off.

It may have sounded harsh, but I only held back a little bit with Armin. Obviously, combat wasn't Armin's strong point, but I didn't want to go easy on him. He would notice, for one, and secondly it wouldn't be fair to Armin or anyone else. I wanted him to know he was just as good, if not better than the rest of the trainees here. He could probably win with tactic alone. "Don't go easy on me, Armin," I said teasingly as I threw a light punch. "Use that magnificent brain!" He chuckled, easily evading my attack.

We sparred for a while, the hot sun baking us into the ground, until we heard a strange noise from behind us. I turned to see Annie flip Eren over midair and kick him, sending him to the ground like a bolt of lightning. "Eren!" Armin and I gasped as he gaped at Annie. I felt myself reeling in confusion and a moderate dose of anger. That wasn't even part of our training! I opened my mouth, prepared to yell at Annie, but she cut off my nonexistent words.

"Now its' your turn, Reiner," Annie said monotonously, facing her next unwilling opponent.

Reiner blanched. "W-what!? But-"

"Do it, Reiner," Eren uttered in a dark voice. I turned to see him for the first time since he was attack and nearly choked. He was in a pathetic position on the ground, legs looming above his head, and after assuring myself he was relatively unharmed, I covered my mouth to contain my laughter. Armin stared in horror. "I thought you wanted to teach her about a soldier's responsibility?"

Reiner looked at him in fear before taking a fighting stance in front of Annie before saying gravely, "Sometime's a soldier can't back down. This is one of those times!" I had hardly blinked when I heard a thud, and was shocked to see him lying on the ground.

"Whoa," I breathed to Armin as Reiner writhed on the ground. "I guess she's been holding back all this time!" _But she just _had_ to unleash her talent on Eren,_ I internally growled as I clenched my fists.

"Yeah," Armin murmured thoughtfully. "She's never done that before.." I turned back to Eren, who to my extreme dismay was being pulled _very very_ close to Annie. I started to go over to Eren, but Armin grabbed my arm and glanced at Shadis, who was watching us like a starving hawk. I nodded hesitantly, slipping back to my stance, though I couldn't help but glance helplessly at Eren, and I was shocked to see he was yet again on the ground. A swift force hit me in the stomach, and I coughed in surprise, staring at Armin in shock. "Don't worry about him, Char," Armin said, apologies in his eyes. I nodded and quickly swept my leg under his feet. He flopped to the ground and I chuckled, extending a hand to help him up. He let out a quiet laugh as I yanked him to his feet. "Guess I don't have to worry about you," he jested playfully. I hummed in response, not entirely focusing on his words. Armin and I's sparring session reminded me of my dad once more. It was so similar towards the end.. My eyes stung, though I was almost positive my tear ducts were permanently inactive since That Day.

"You'll have to excuse me, Armin," I said lightly with a smile, though my throat was burning. "I believe I won this round. I'm gonna go see if I can snag some food."

He looked at me with confusion, but nodded. "Sure thing, Lottie. Don't get in too much trouble," he chuckled. "See you later!" I threw my hand lazily in the air in farewell and walked quickly in the direction of the dorms. If Shadis noticed I was leaving, which he most definitely did, he didn't say anything, and I was grateful. Once I was out of eyesight of the training grounds, I began sprinting, eyes squeezed shut. My feet knew the path, so familiar to me after three years, but that didn't stop me from stumbling. I fell to the dusty ground, dirt covering my uniform. I must have only been a few feet from the dorms, so I decided to get up and trip my way to the steps leading into the bunks. I sank onto the wooden steps, leaning against the pole and gripping my knees.

I almost wished I could cry. This feeling was so much worse than what I remembered crying being- this feeling of my chest tightening, heart racing, head pounding, and eyes stinging with no reprieve. Why was I still so weak?! A strangled sob escaped me, and I wanted to strangle myself for being so petulant. I needlessly wiped my dry eyes and rested my head on my knees. I needed to collect myself, and quickly, before-

"Char?" My heart actually stopped for a moment, and I cursed my horrible luck. Maybe I could play this off as an injury of some sort? But of all people, why did it have to be _Eren?_

"Oh, hello, Eren," I said nervously as I prayed my voice didn't crack, head still on my knees and hidden by my hair. "Fancy seeing you here. What brings you to the area?" I heard footsteps approaching my pathetic self, and the creek of the wood as another warm body joined me.

"Charlotte, are you alright?" He asked in a concerned tone as his hand clasped onto my shoulder. I almost squeaked, but I didn't want to lose the last pitiful shred of my dignity. Gathering my wits, I raised my head and met his forest green eyes. His forehead creased in concern.

"Me? Oh, yeah, I'm absolutely dapper! The real question is how are _you?_"_Brilliant, Blanc! Topic change! _I leaned forward as I gave him a quick inspection. "I saw Annie completely annihilate you out there." A hint of anger tinted my tone, but it was unknown if Eren noticed.

He winced, face turning slightly red. "Yeah, she really surprised me. That came out of nowhere!" Yes! He took my bait.

"Yeah, and watching Reiner go down was a memorable moment for everyone, I think," I joked with a laugh.

Eren's intense gaze focused on me so intently I almost leaned away from him. "But that's not what I came to talk to you about," he said seriously, so close to me our foreheads were almost touching. _Okay, not weird at all, this is fine._ I gulped before giving in and backing away a little. "Why did you run off?"

I sighed, dropping my hands and eyes to my lap. I couldn't lie to Eren, now could I? "While I was sparring with Armin, it just.." I couldn't finish. It felt so vapid to discuss my father with Eren after learning the fate of his mom. "Never mind. Truly, Eren, it doesn't matter. Just me being silly, I suppose." I smiled, and it must have been very unconvincing because he gripped my hand. My eyes widened.

"Charlotte, if it's enough to upset you, it definitely matters to me," he admonished in a low voice. My hand felt all tingly, and something that felt like a million tiny butterflies pinged around in my stomach. My lips parted as I stared at the wooden steps, unable to look him in the eye.

"While I was sparring with Armin it reminded me of my last day with my dad," I blurted with my eyes still trained on the ground. Eren's grip slackened, but only for a moment. Before I could comprehend anything, I was pulled into a _very_ tight hug, his muscled arms wrapping around me and squeezing lightly. "I'm sorry," I said quietly into his shoulder, arms still squished by my sides. "I just.. I know it's stupid. It was so long ago, and yet.." I bit my lip and submitted, finally putting my arms around him. My head rested on his shoulder, yet I couldn't stop talking. "Here I am, blubbering like a baby, when you're experience was so much _worse_ and-!"

"Don't talk like that," Eren snapped in my ear, pressed against me so tightly I could feel his racing heart beat. "It doesn't matter what the difference is between our losses. Loss is loss, Char, and it hurts just as bad either way." His voice soft and hard all at once. I grimaced, knotting my hands into his shirt.

"I just.. I thought I was over it," I whispered truthfully, pulling out of his tight embrace. "But sometimes, I can't help but think.. What if they're still alive out there?"

He nodded, a thoughtful look passing over his face. "I think the same about my dad."

"Maybe they're all together, deep within an underground city, having tea and talking about how stupid we are for joining the military," I offered with a laugh.

"Not stupid," Eren corrected as he stared into my eyes, that undying spark flaring to life. "Free."

**Yo horrible ending I know. Sorry about all the garbage in this chapter, I just needed to finish it :P Next chapter will be dinner (haha), graduation, and probably at least the beginning for the battle for Trost. I'm sooorrryyy I'm so awful at close scenes it is not my cup of tea.**

** How did everyone like all the Armin in this chapter?! He just threw himself in there and I couldn't get rid of him :P **

** Tell me your thoughts on Charlotte's picture! And thoughts on this chapter! Your thoughts on **_**everything! **_**Thank you guys so so much for reading and all, I love all of you! :)**


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